The Heart of a Dragon
by BlueJay026
Summary: It was just supposed to be a quick trip to Scotland. But then all of a sudden, Thorne's became an even bigger threat to the Kingdom of Splatalot than the red, fire-breathing dragon. Now it's Crocness's job to help Thorne control his new "anger issue," or he'll bring the kingdom crashing down.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New story! Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Splatalot.**

The month of March had finally arrived in the Kingdom of Splatalot. It was the time that lots of rain would fall, and spring was finally on its way. It was also closer to the time of regular attacks on the castle. It wasn't long until the teenage Attackers would start showing up on the moat once again.

The Attackers weren't expected to arrive until at least a few more weeks, though, so the Defenders still had some freetime to themselves. However, most of their time was spent getting ready for the Attackers' arrival. Thorne was working on some slime formulas, Tinkor was busy repairing and improving the weapons, and everyone was perfecting their aim.

This morning, seven of the nine Defenders were seated at the dining table, eating breakfast and discussing their plans for the day. While six of the seven chatted, Thorne kept a silent, heavy glare on the Australian bird. Kookaburra had been teasing Thorne about getting a girlfriend all week, and the alchemist was fed up with it.

The English warrior's threatening glare worked perfectly; it kept Kook from bringing the subject up. But if Kook _did_ decide to talk about it again, Thorne had prepared an ice-cold spot in the moat just for him. If he decided to talk about at breakfast in front of everybody else, Thorne would make sure to add some electric eels and a few piranhas to the water.

Suddenly, the dining hall's doors swung open, grabbing everyone's attention. The kilted huntress strutted inside, with Crocness sauntering close behind. Each Defender took notice of the bag over Ballista's shoulder.

"Hey, guys," the huntress greeted, snatching a pancake from the table.

Gildar looked at the huntress with slight disgust as she forced the whole thing into her mouth. "Ballista, please! Get a plate! And if you keep eating like that, you'll get indigestion!"

Ballista shot a careless glance at the viking. "Sorry, but Croc and I are in a hurry. We've gotta run."

Gildar narrowed an eye. "Where are you going?"

"To Scotland."

"Why?"

Ballista swallowed the last of her pancake and adjusted the bag over her shoulder. "My family's having a reunion, and they've decided to hold it at my sister's place in Scotland, this year. Croc's coming with me so she can visit her cousin."

The huntress stuffed a sausage into her mouth as the water monster nodded.

"It's been awhile since I've seen Nessie," Crocness stated.

Ballista swallowed the last of her sausage, then looked Thorne up and down. "Hey, you're still coming, aren't you? Why aren't you ready?"

Thorne had agreed to go with the two so they'd get a good deal on the plane tickets; they'd only have to pay half the price of the total cost. Ballista had promised to get him a new pair of boots and chainmail shirt if he went with them.

The alchemist gulped down the last of his tea, then turned to the huntress. "I'm ready."

"But you're not even packed!"

Thorne groaned, annoyed. "I _am_ packed. I just left my suitcase in my room."

Ballista took a deep breath. "Okay, good. But we've gotta get to the airport as soon as possible or we'll miss our flight," she stated, absent-mindedly touching Kook's glass of orange juice.

"Hey, get your own!" Kook cried, grabbing his cup defensively.

Ballista rolled her eyes, then looked over at Knightriss. "We'll be back in a few days."

"Alright, my dear," the leader replied, nodding.

The kilted huntress gestured for Thorne to get up. "Alright, come on, let's go!"

Thorne stood up, and with that, he, Ballista, and Crocness walked out of the dining hall. The remaining warriors at the table loudly bid them farewell.

"Have fun!" Skabb shouted, waving. "And if you don't, we won't care!"

**A/N: Does this sound good, so far, I hope? It'll get better, I think...**

**Alright, feel free to review! Have a good night! **


	2. Chapter 2

After countless hours of flying in a plane, the three Defenders finally arrived in Scotland. After leaving the airport, Ballista led her friends around the busy cities and into the less populated areas. They came to a more "ancient" part of Scotland, filled with forests and ruined castles, then finally made it to their destination.

Ballista's sister actually lived in a castle. She wasn't Scottish royalty or anything, though. She had always been interested in her heritage, and thus moved to Scotland and had the large fortress built.

Anyways, the three travelers crossed over the lowered drawbridge to the castle's front doors. Ballista adjusted the bag on her back, knocked on the doors, then waited.

"What's your sister's name, again?" Crocness inquired.

"Flora," Ballista replied.

Thorne snorted. "Sounds joyful."

Suddenly, the heavy, wooden doors opened, and taking their place was a tall girl in her twenties. She had strawberry blonde hair tied into a braid and green eyes. She wore an emerald green dress with sea blue lining. Her dress was so long that no one could tell what kind of shoes she wore. When she saw Ballista, she smiled wide, then walked outside on the wooden bridge to greet her.

"Ballista!" she cried in a "watered-down" Scottish accent, hugging the huntress. "It's good to see you!"

Ballista returned the hug, then replied, "It's good to see you, too, Flora."

Thorne's scowl hardened. _This girl's too cheery for my taste._

Flora let go of and beamed at her older sister. "I'm so glad you made it! Isn't this great? The whole family's gathering here tonight for a reunion in my homeland!"

The Splatalot huntress crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You realize we were both born in Canada, right?"

Flora nodded. "Aye, but my heart belongs here in Scotland."

The huntress kinda gave her sister a wierd look, then unfolded her arms. "Kay."

Flora looked past her sister. She started back a little when she saw the other two Defenders, but didn't freak out otherwise.

"Who is this...fine lad? And fine lass?"

The huntress stepped back a few feet. "Crocness and Thorne," the huntress explained, pointing to each one as she said their names. "They work alongside me in the Kingdom of Splatalot."

Flora lifted her head a little. "Ah, so these are two of your hideous coworkers you've been telling me about."

Crocness (and even Albert) glared at the Splatalot huntress.

"Oy, who are you calling hideous?" Thorne snarled, glaring at both Ballista and her younger sister.

Ballista laughed. Thorne shook his head and cast his hateful glare at the ground. An awkward pause shortly followed afterwards. Fortunately, though, Crocness broke it by announcing her departure.

"I'll be off, then. Can't keep Nessie waiting."

Flora blinked. "Um...alright...? But feel free to join us in the reunion, tonight. A friend of Ballista is always welcome."

The half-human, half-huntress nodded. "I'll see you guys later," she stated, turning on her heels.

Flora and Ballista bid her farewell. Thorne kept silent, but watched her as she prowled away. He kept his eyes on her until he couldn't see her anymore.

After exchanging a few quiet words with her sister, Flora turned to Thorne. She smiled. "You too; feel free to join us, tonight. It'll be fun."

The alchemist scowled. "You ain't gonna make we wear a kilt if I come, are ya?"

Ballista smirked.

Flora shook her head. "Nay, just come as you are...chainmail and all."

Thorne glanced to the side, then crossed his thick arms. "I'll consider your invitation."

**A/N: Once the action starts, I think this will get better. I can't wait to get there!**


	3. Chapter 3

For the rest of the day, Ballista and Flora busied themselves by preparing for the huge dinner planned and greeting their visiting relatives. Meanwhile, Thorne occupied himself by scowling, grumbling, and "playing" with his Mulching Mace.

Around seven o' clock, all of Ballista's relatives had arrived. They all gathered inside the castle and helped themselves to all sorts of meat, desserts, and drinks. As the family socialized, Thorne, feeling a bit anti-social, stayed outside of the castle. He primarily kept to the shadows close to the open entrance, but would occasionally wander around the shallow moat.

After about doing that for the fifth time, Thorne halted in the shadows near the open doors. He looked inside for a minute to see what everyone was doing. Ballista was talking to her parents, Flora was chatting with a young man, and Crocness...still hadn't returned from Lake Loch Ness.

Thorne crossed his arms and leaned against the cold wall of the castle. He looked out towards the forest in search of any signs of Crocness. But all he could see was his breath in the cold night air.

The alchemist wasn't really a close friend with anyone, but the water monster was a bit of an exception. Sort of. The two had a strong bond and shared a lot in common. For instance, they both enjoyed scaring people, and would occasionally team up against Gildar when he got too "annoyingly arrogant." And they worked great together behind the Splatzooka.

Thorne took a deep breath and looked up at the dark sky, wishing he had something fun or exciting to do. Suddenly, he sensed another presence approaching him.

"Feeling a bit unfriendly, tonight, are we?"

Thorne whipped his face towards the mysterious dark voice. Standing a few feet away was a tall, burly man in a dark brown cloak.

"Oy, who do you think you are?" Thorne cried, angrily stepping back.

"My apologies, dear boy," the man said smoothly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"You didn't," Thorne snarled. "And what are you even doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Thorne growled. He hated it when people threw his questions back at him.

"My name is Moray," the shady man explained. He grinned slyly. "And you must be Thorne."

The alchemist's eyes flashed. "How do you know that?"

"I've seen you work alongside my niece."

Thorne cocked his head. "Your niece?"

"Yes." Moray pulled back his hood, revealing his dark, rust-colored hair. "I'm Ballista's uncle."

"Oh, then it's nice to meet you," Thorne said sarcastically, leaning back against the wall.

Moray stepped closer to Thorne, making the alchemist's muscles jerk defensively. Nevertheless, Moray leaned back against the wall besides Thorne, then smirked. "Do you fancy her?"

"No," Thorne replied firmly.

Moray smiled with interest. "Has another woman already been lucky enough to win your affections?"

_This guy's just as bad as Kook, _Thorne thought with a growl. "No. There isn't another woman."

Moray nodded quietly. Thorne groaned, realizing that this guy wasn't going to leave him alone. He crossed his arms and looked down at the ground, then reflected upon his recent statement. _No. There isn't another woman._ Another thought penetrated his mind:

_What about Crocness?_

The alchemist looked up and pondered upon the thought. He and Crocness together? Thorne recalled that he himself had thought that was possible. Heck, even Kook did; he was the one who suggested it.

Although, Kook was only saying that just to annoy him.

Thorne looked up at the stars as he thought about the half-human, half-reptile. He had to admit; he liked the way she scared people, and quite admired her warrior spirit.

The Defender lowered his gaze to the ground and quickly shook his head. No, he and the reptile woman were just good friends. Nothing more. Besides, he didn't even want a girlfriend. And even if he did, she probably wasn't interested in him. No one really was.

Thorne blinked. Why did that thought just jab his heart?

"I've heard you're an alchemist," Moray said suddenly, snapping Thorne out of his thoughts.

The English warrior turned to him. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm an alchemist myself. It's quite nice to meet someone who shares my passion for chemistry."

Thorne shrugged. He was still irritated, but not quite as much as before.

Moray rubbed his chin. "That kingdom of yours...what's it called?"

There was a certain gleam in Moray's eyes that made Thorne reluctant to answer. "It's called Splatalot," he stated, a warning tone in his voice.

Moray nodded. "Ah, yes, that's right. Splatalot. You young warriors defend the castle from those kiddy Attackers, don't you?"

Thorne nodded.

"I've heard that you've defended the kingdom from other creatures, as well. Ogres, knights, unicorns, giants..." Moray paused and looked into Thorne's gray eyes. A wicked light sparked in his own golden ones. "Ever fought against any dragons?"

Thorne didn't answer. Moray grinned slyly, then looked out towards the forest in front of the castle. Thorne watched him carefully for a moment. He growled under his breath, then turned his head towards the castle's doors. A little bit later, he turned back to Moray. Thorne's eyes brightened with shock.

_Where'd he go?_

The alchemist began walking around the area in search of Ballista's uncle. He turned his head back and forth, wondering where Moray had gone. It was about a minute later when the alchemist decided to give up the search and head inside. Thorne turned on his heels-

-and bumped into Moray's hard stomach.

"Careful there, Thorne," Moray responded in a calm tone.

The alchemist tripped back a few paces, then glared at Moray. "Oy, where'd you just-"

"In the castle," he replied, casting a glance behind him at the fortress's entrance. "You looked a bit thirsty, so I got you a drink."

Thorne crossed his arms. "Oh, yeah? What makes you think I'd accept a drink from you?"

Moray, amused, smirked, then held one of the two glasses in his hands out to him. "Go on. Take it. I didn't taint it or anything."

Thorne looked into the glass extended out to him. It looked normal, but he still didn't trust this alchemist guy. He looked up at Moray skeptically. Before he could say anything, someone else stormed out of the castle. Thorne and the shady man turned to see the Splatalot huntress pace over to them.

"Moray, what are you doing here?" she asked angrily.

Moray shrugged. "I was just speaking to this nice lad."

Ballista looked at Thorne, who shook his head. She nodded, then looked back up at Moray. "You're not welcome here." She pointed away from the castle. "Go. Get out of here."

"But I'm not-"

The huntress whipped out her Splatbow in a fierce manner. "I said go. _Now_."

Moray stared at Ballista and her Splatbow for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yes, dear." He turned to Thorne. "It was nice talking with you, dear boy." He tipped his head. "Have a good evening."

With that, Moray walked past the alchemist and up to Ballista. He handed the two glasses he had grabbed, then sauntered away towards the forest. The two Defenders watched him retreat until he emerged into the shadows, and could no longer be seen.

Thorne turned to Ballista. "He claimed to be your uncle. Is that-"

"He calls himself my uncle," Ballista explained, "but he's not related to my father, mother, or I in any way. My mother's sister married his brother, so that's why he even knows my family and I." The huntress looked out towards the direction Moray had just went, then back at her English comrade. "What was he talking to you about?"

"Splatalot."

Ballista shook her head. "Don't trust him, Thorne. He's an evil man. He attempted to kill my father so he could get a large sum of money. If my father wasn't such a skilled archer, he would have succeeded."

Thorne lifted his head a little. "How long ago was that?"

"About ten years ago."

Thorne nodded. The huntress looked at the two glasses in her hands, then walked over to the moat. She tipped the glasses upside down, emptying their contents into the dirty waters below. Afterwards, she walked back to Thorne.

"Thorne, if he ever talks to you again..." She smirked a little. "Feel free to have some fun with your mace."

Thorne nodded. "I will."

Ballista nodded, as well. "Good." She paused. "Are you coming inside anytime soon?"

Thorne glanced at the dark, faraway trees. "I think I'll stay out here a bit longer."

"Alright. Suit yourself."

With that, Ballista turned and walked back inside the castle. Thorne took a deep breath, then leaned back against the wall of the stony fortress. He gazed out at the dark forest, wondering what Moray was up to.

And why he had a particular interest in dragons.


	4. Chapter 4

The three Defenders stayed at the castle for the next couple days. Ballista's relatives soon left, and the castle was quiet once more. During those few days, the Defenders would usually disperse and do their own thing. For instance, Ballista spent the cool mornings in the nearby forest, practicing her aim. Crocness spent the warm afternoons wading in the shallow moat, and Thorne wandered around the estate when night fell.

On the fourth day of their stay, at breakfast, Flora served leftover dishes of haggis for Crocness and Thorne. In her eyes, they seemed brutal and "stony," so she thought they'd enjoy it. Crocness ate it without a problem, but Thorne thought the dish was absolutely disgusting. However, he didn't want to look like a wimp, so he forced himself to emotionlessly choke down a few bites of it.

It was during the middle of the meal that Thorne reached the end. He couldn't take it any more. With a forced back gag, he pushed the sheep's stomach away and snatched the teapot on the table.

_This better not have anything related to sheep in it, _he thought angrily, pouring the hot tea into his cup. Crocness smirked as she watched him chug down the entire beverage.

Thorne was starting to wish he stayed back at the Splatalot castle. Flora was almost on his last nerve. He was supposed to be the Thorne in Flora's side, but she was becoming the thorn in _his _side!

Just as Thorne finished drinking, and was taking deep breaths of relief, Ballista returned from her "forest walk." She adjusted the Splatbow on her back and walked into the dining hall. Flora turned to her from the stove and smiled.

"Hey, sis. Hungry?"

"Starved," Ballista replied, sitting down next to Crocness.

"Want to finish my haggis?" Thorne inquired, pushing his plate over to the huntress.

Ballista stared at the plate for a few seconds, then shook her head. "No. There's no way I'm eating that."

"Don't worry, I'll make some eggs for you," Flora stated, heading towards the refridgerator.

Thorne growled with envy. Just then, Ballista's cell phone rang. Instantly, the huntress took the communication device out of her pocket, turned it on, then held it up to her ear.

"Hello? Hey, Knightriss, what's up?" The huntress's eyes sparked. "What?"

Ballista stood up and listened to her leader's voice intently. Crocness and Thorne, suddenly interested, locked their eyes on her. After a minute or so, Ballista nodded.

"Okay. We'll be there as soon as we can."

With that, Ballista hung up, then turned to her sister back at the stove. "Hurry up with those eggs, we've gotta go."

"What happened?" Crocness inquired.

"The castle was attacked last night."

Thorne and Crocness stared at Ballista wide-eyed.

"What?" they asked together.

"The castle was attacked last night," the blonde huntress repeated. "Everyone's okay and the crown's still in our posession, but the castle was damaged quite a bit."

Thorne shot up from his seat and slammed his hands down on the table. "What idiot had the nerve to do that?" he demanded, his gray eyes blazing. "Who attacked us? Who challenged us Defenders?"

Ballista looked at the angered Thorne seriously. She stared at him for a long moment before she spoke. And what she said shocked the alchemist.

"A dragon."


	5. Chapter 5

Thorne stood over the stone wall of the Finishing Platform, his Mulching Mace in hand. His eyes scanned the darkness of the night, searching intently for any signs of the enemy. He and the other Defenders were waiting for the mythical monster to come.

The Defenders were dispersed all around the castle. Skabb was behind the moat's Splatzooka, and prowling behind the Beastly Battle Axes were Gildar and Ballista. Crocness was lurking in the moat, Shaiden...well, she was a ninja, so no one knew where she was waiting. The rest of the Defenders were positioned in the courtyard, completely prepared to defend the crown.

The Defenders had been out for about an hour, growing more and more impatient and excited. Just as Skabb was about to comment that the enemy was taking forever, the moat trembled. The Defenders in the moat locked their gazes over the Defenders' Douse. There was a flapping sound, then a shadow covered the moat's entrance. Then suddenly, above the arch of the Starting Platform, a roaring bergundy dragon appeared.

The dragon actually looked navy blue because of the dark lighting, and was about the size of a schoolbus. It had large wings and a thick tail that acted as a whip. It's teeth were long, sharp, and egg-white in color. The claws it possessed were covered in a slimy substance, hence sparkled in the moonlight. The beast's eyes were gold and gleaming with fierceness.

The barbarian's eyes were just as fierce. "SKABB RULES! GAH!"

"DEFEND THE CASTLE!" Gildar roared.

The dragon, in response, gave a mighty cry, then flew in. The Defenders in the moat welcomed it with slime, splat balls, and even some stones.

The dragon flew up towards the Splatzooka. Skabb screamed angrily, then shot a splat ball at the beast's stomach. The mythical creature roared, then twirled its tail in the air. Using it, the beast knocked Skabb from the Splatzooka and into the moat. The monster then bit down hard the Splatzooka, destroying it.

Suddenly, Skabb jumped into the air. He screamed and brought his Basher Masher down on the beast's skull. The dragon withdrew with a loud yelp. The beast unintentionally came into Ballista and Gildar's firing range.

Gildar threw stones at the beast as Ballista fired an arrow at it. The arrow pierced the top of the dragon's eyelid, making it scream. She laughed.

"I'm on fire, tonight!"

The dragon, unamused, snarled, then leaned its face towards the two. Before it could proceed with its coming attack, Gildar punched its snout. The beast threw its head back in pain.

Gildar turned to Ballista. "Your fire's not as hot as mine, though."

The huntress glared at him. The dragon, enraged, lowered its head and opened its mouth. Out came red flames. Gildar and Ballista barely manged to avoid them by leaping out of the way. The beast snorted, then prepared to do the same thing again.

Just then, a small stone hit the dragon's temple. It cried out with pain, then turned to see Thorne glaring at it.

"Hey, lizard freak!" he shouted. "Come over here!"

The dragon narrowed its eyes, growled evilly, then flew straight for the mace-wielding Defender.

The alchemist bravely gripped his weapon, then swung it at the coming dragon's chin. The spikes made contact with its large jaw, which infuriated the monster. The beast roared, then unleashed its whip-like tail. The dragon brutally smacked Thorne, sending the alchemist flying into the Stockade. Thorne landed and rolled across the purple boards of the Pardoning Platform. He groaned, then lifted his head to see the dragon flying after him, claws extended. Thorne growled, pushed himself up, then charged for the beast as it burst in. He whacked at its claws with his mace. The beast fell back a few yards, roared, then attacked again.

With a quick twist, the dragon whipped Thorne again with his tail. Thorne fell to the floor of the Stockade. Before he could react, the beast pinned him down with its large paws. It bore it's teeth at him in such a way that Thorne thought that it was evilly smiling at him. The dragon took one of its oozing claws and swiftly sliced it across Thorne's forearm, making the alchemist flinch.

Suddenly, a ninja star cut through the air and scraped the dragon's neck. It roared, then turned to the fierce blue ninja on top of the catwalk. She bore her teeth at it, then unsheathed her Splatana. The dragon roared again, then went after the ninja. Shaiden somersaulted away from its powerful smack, then pierced her sword into its shoulder. It only growled, then smacked at her. Shaiden dodged and blocked the attacks with her ninja moves. She was doing great until it twisted and swung its tail at her. The dragon successfully knocked her into the Stockade, then held her down.

Just as the beast was about to bite the ninja's head off, Thorne smacked its cheek with his Mulching Mace, breaking a tooth. The dragon cried out in anger and pain. Thorne hit it again, freeing Shaiden from its strong grasp. Suddenly, the other Defenders arrived, each wielding a dangerous weapon of their own. The dragon growled, then opened its large jaws the breath out some fire. Tinkor retaliated by using his Splatmobile to launch an exploding splat ball into its mouth.

The dragon arched back and screamed, saliva dripping from its mouth. The other Defenders yelled back and shot slime and rocks at it. The dragon cowered back in pain every few seconds. Finally, it gave a roar of defeat, darted back for the moat. The Defenders followed after it, and but were unable to hurt it anymore while it retreated. The warriors gathered on the wall above the Starting Platform and watched as the beast flew away.

"DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK!" Skabb screamed.

The Defenders glared at the monster until they could no longer see it. They were all quiet long after it was gone, each trying to catch their breath.

After a little while longer, Knightriss broke the silence.

"I think we should all stay inside the castle, tonight. Just in case this thing does come back, we need to be ready."

The Defenders quietly agreed. They were all too tired to make the trip back to their own places, anyways. With that, each Defender turned and followed their leader towards the castle's front doors.

Before Thorne walked away with the others, he looked at the cut across his arm. It had stopped bleeding, but it didn't look okay. The dried blood was a bit of a purple color. It stung a bit, but cuts usually do. The alchemist turned his arm up and down, wondering if he should run some tests on it.

"Thorne, you alright?"

The alchemist blinked, then turned around. Crocness was a few paces behind him, watching him carefully. Thorne put his arm down and turned it towards his side so the reptile woman wouldn't see the long cut.

"I'm fine," he replied.

Crocness waited for him to expand on his answer, but when he didn't, she nodded. "Alright. Just checking."

Thorne nodded, then followed after the half-human, half-reptile towards the castle. While he was walking, he looked down at his forearm. It was now tingling. He stared at it for a moment, then shook his head.

_I'm fine. I'm just fine._


	6. Chapter 6

"What if it comes back?"

Gildar looked across the table at the blonde huntress. He glanced at his cup of coffee before picking it up. "Then we better be ready."

Kookaburra was resting his head on his hand as he stared at his cereal. He yawned. "But what if it doesn't?"

"We still should be ready," Knightriss stated without looking at him.

"Dragons don't give up so easily," Crocness explained. "Once that thing's ready, it'll come right back for the crown."

"Why must dragons love shiny things?" Kook whined, rubbing his face.

Ballista shot him a scornful look. "Toughen up, Kook."

Thorne brutally stabbed one of his sausages. "Then do us a favor and shut up."

Crocness glanced at Thorne. He was in a worse mood than usual.

Kookaburra sat up and dropped his hands on the table. "Well, excuse me for only getting seven hours of sleep for the past two days!"

Shaiden took a quick glance at Kook. His eyes were red, his green hair was more messy than wind-blown, and his feathers seemed to droop along with the rest of his body.

Knightriss took a deep breath, then looked over at the inventor. "Tinkor, my boy, I think we're gonna need sharper weapons."

Tinkor grinned. "Okay!"

"I'll need you to get working on them as soon as possible, my dear."

The inventor nodded, then quickly took a few more bites of his breakfast.

The barbarian sitting next to him turned to look at his inventive friend. "Tinkor, we're gonna need more exploding splat balls."

Tinkor nodded rapidly. "Yes! Yes! Haha!"

Ballista glanced at him. "And I think we need a few bows and arrows."

The inventor started trembling with excitement as all sorts of ideas filled his head. "Exploding arrows! Flaming arrows! Poisonous arrows!"

Knightriss nodded. "Whatever it takes to defeat this dragon."

"I'll get started right now!" Tinkor declared, standing up. Without another word, he dashed off to the Techni-Cave.

Gildar wiped his face with his napkin, then stood up. "I'm gonna go work out. The next time that monster faces me, I'm gonna make sure it gets a proper gunshow."

Crocness watched the viking as he quietly left the hall. After he had left, she stood up. "I'll go gather some of my relatives."

No sooner had she left the room, Kook rubbed his eyes, then pushed himself back from the table. "I need some rest. I'll be in me room."

Slowly, one by one, the Defenders left the table to prepare the castle and themselves for the dragon's next arrival. The last ones at the table were Shaiden and Thorne. The alchemist's sister glanced back at her sheathed weapon.

_Guess I better go sharpen my Splatana...and my skills._

The ninja stood up, then began to walk out of the dining hall. She suddenly stopped in the middle of the room, then turned around. Her brother was glaring down at his forearm.

"Thorne, are you okay?"

The alchemist snapped his head up and covered his arm. "I'm fine!"

Shaiden blinked. After a moment, she shook her head, then turned and continued to walk out of the hall.

"Someone's a bit moody, today," she muttered under her breath.

**A/N: Guest that made that suggestion in the review box? Could you explain a little more on what you meant by that? And if I don't do what you asked, is there anything else you'd like to see? I could even do a one-shot for you if you like.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Shaiden, my dear, where's Master Thorne?" Knightriss inquired.

The ninja shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since breakfast."

Just then, the two saw Kookaburra walking towards them. He was staring down at his Sling-Splatter and turning it over in his hands.

"Kook, have you seen Thorne?" the ninja asked.

The bird arrested his feet and looked up at Shaiden. He nodded. "Yeah. He's in his room. He's not feeling good."

Knightriss looked at her feathered comrade seriously. "What do you mean he's not feeling good?"

Kook shrugged. "Well, when I saw him, he was holding his stomach. I asked him what was wrong, and he screamed at me to leave him alone, then stormed off to his room and slammed the door."

Shaiden blinked. _Hmm...well, if he's sick, that'd explain why he's in an even worse mood than usual. _"How long ago was that?"

"About a half hour."

Suddenly, Skabb's voice boomed throughout the entire castle. "IT'S BACK! IT'S BACK! AAAAAGGHH!"

Knightriss turned on her heels and started running. "Come on, Defenders!"

Shaiden nodded, then dashed after her leader. Kook rapidly did the same. Out on the moat, the other Defenders were gathered around the Defenders' Douse, overlooking the world outside the castle's walls. The dragon was running around in a rage. It destroyed just about every tree it touched.

The Defenders took aim.

"DESTROY IT!" Gildar screamed.

Instantly, another battle began. The dragon realized it was being attacked, then fiercely came after the warriors. The Defenders fought back hard, but the dragon seemed even fiercer, tonight.

In the middle of the battle, the dragon had drove over half of the Defenders into the moat. Still standing on the front wall were Kook, Gildar, and Shaiden. The dragon smacked the viking's Tenderizer from his hands, then turned and delivered a strong whip from the tail to the blue ninja's face. She groaned loudly and fell on the Starting Platform, but didn't slide into the murky water.

While the dragon was busy with Gildar, Kookaburra fired a rock from his Sling Splatter. The stone hit the beast's neck. The dragon, more enraged than hurt, screamed. It turned around, which resulted in its tail slapping Gildar down. The beast ran towards the bird, then smacked him with its large paw. Kook fell off the wall and to the ground in front of the castle. The beast then got ready to pounce. Kook rolled over just in time to save himself from being crushed. However, the dragon landed on his left arm, severely damaging it. The bird cried out in agonized pain, getting Gildar's attention.

"Kook!"

The viking jumped from the wall and rushed to his comrade. His fist made direct contact with the dragon's snout when he arrived. The dragon screamed as Gildar carefully took Kook's arm into his hands and inspected it. Once it regained its sense of smell, the dragon roared yet again, then came even closer to the two. Gildar curled his hand into another iron fist.

Suddenly, Crocness emerged from the castle and ran for the beast. When she reached it, she got ahold of its left arm and bit down hard on the dragon's paw. The dragon yanked its paw back, furiously crying out. The dragon then seethed down at the reptilian woman, who seethed back.

"Infernal beast!" she cried.

The half-human, half-reptile and the dragon glared at each other, both bearing their teeth. Then, all of a sudden, the dragon's dilated eyes constricted. It blinked a few times, then looked over at Kook. After scanning the bird's mangled arm in Gildar's hands, it looked back at Crocness. As it stared at her, a look of remorse flooded its light-colored eyes. Crocness, surprised, studied its eyes carefully. She suddenly realized that those eyes were not the same color as they were the night before.

Just then, the other Defenders arrived with more exploding splat balls and dangerous weapons. Before the dragon or Crocness could respond, the Defenders fired. The dragon backed up and roared, then turned and ran. The Defenders followed after it. However, they soon lost it, and were forced to return to Crocness, Gildar, and Kook. When they came back, the ninja walked over to Kook and the viking.

"Kook, you alright?" Shaiden asked, kneeling down next to the bird.

Kookaburra forced a smile, but was unable to say anything.

Gildar looked up at the ninja. "His arm's broken, but he'll be fine."

Shaiden nodded, then helped Gildar lift Kook up. Afterwards, the two began to carefully lead the injured bird back to the castle. After exchanging some discouraged words and strategies, the other Defenders followed after them.

Ballista was walking behind everyone else. She suddenly paused, then turned around. Crocness wasn't moving an inch. It was almost as if her boots were glued to the forest floor. The water monster was staring through the trees.

"Croc, aren't you coming?"

Crocness turned to the huntress. "I'll meet you inside. I wanna stay out here a little longer."

Ballista stared at her reptilian friend for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright."

As soon as the blonde huntress was gone, Crocness took off running through the maple trees, determined to find the dragon. She kept close to the shadows and avoided stepping on any twigs. After a while, the half-human, half-reptile slowed her quiet run to a silent pace. She eventually came to a dead part of the maple forest. The croc-woman cautiously looked around. Then she finally found her target.

The dragon was standing in front of a large pile of brokenp-off branches and dead trees. It was standing on its hind legs and leaning its hands and upper body against a thick, ancient tree. It was trembling and clenching its teeth together.

Crocness stayed hidden in the shadows and watched the beast intently. She noticed quite a few interesting details. For starters, this dragon was not dark red. It was blue. It was also only three quarters of a school bus.

Then, to the croc-woman's slight surprise, the dragon's tail and wings began to disolve. Its thick, blue arms grew smaller from the elbow up. The creature took deep breaths as its face began to morph into a more familiar shape. Then the transformation froze.

Crocness stepped out of the shadows and stared at the half-human, half-dragon.

"...Thorne?"

**A/N: Did you see that one coming? You probably did, huh?**

**Just so you know, I don't want to deal with all the "unclothed" issues that come with transforming monsters and stuff, so every time Thorne changes back into a human/half human, I'll be describing him as having his clothing back on, kay?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Per request, I'm gonna do this chapter in Crocness's point of view.**

**Okay, here we go...**

Startled by my voice, Thorne turned towards me. I saw a faint look of panic in his gray eyes as he stared at my face, but he stayed silent.

"Thorne, what happened to you?" I asked, hardly believing what I was seeing.

Thorne shook his head. He could hardly believe it, as well. And I think I could even detect a hint of shame. He didn't look at me straight in the eye, and his head drooped slightly.

I quickly scanned my friend's appearance. Thorne's face seemed mostly human, except for the two fangs that stuck out over his bottom lip. His mohawk seemed stiffer and a bit of a blue color. His neck was longer than normal, and the very back of it was blue and scaly. I couldn't see his back, since he somehow had his chainmail shirt on(and pants and boots). But, judging by his neck, I bet his back was covered in blue scales. His forearms were massive and a dark blue color. His paws were now more like hands, but they had silver claws poking out from the top of his fingertips. Thorne's dragon-like calfs and feet had burst through his boots, exposing even more sharp claws.

I took it that he didn't like me staring at his new form, since he backed up a bit. I began to walk over to him, who, in return, backed up even more.

"Stay away from me!" he ordered.

I kept walking towards him. "Thorne-"

Thorne lashed his hand out at me. "I SAID STAY AWAY!"

He spoke with such ferocity that_ I _took a step back, this time. I stared at the fierce alchemist, who had started breathing quickly again. My eyes were glued onto his angered face. Suddenly, I noticed that his fangs had gotten a little longer. Moving my gaze to his extended hand, I also saw that his claws had become longer, and his fingertips a little pointier.

Thorne noticed, too. He quickly averted his gaze from my face to his hand. When he moved his eyes down his arm, I did the same. It was then that I noticed a long slash across the front of his forearm. After staring at it for a long moment, he retracted his arm back to his side. He let out a deep breath, then allowed himself to sink to the ground. He quietly groaned and layed his head in his large, blue hands.

I decided to stay still for a minute longer before I tried approaching him again. This time, he didn't shout at me to stay away, so I got as close to him as I thought necessary. I arrested my feet about half a yard away from him.

"How long have you been like this?" I inquired, kneeling down.

Thorne sighed, then lifted his head. "I only changed tonight."

I narrowed one of my eyes. "Do you know why you changed?"

My blue comrade was silent for a moment. "...No." He exhaled sharply. "But I have an idea."

Thorne proceeded to tell me all about Ballista's "uncle," and how he had been asking him about the kingdom and if we had ever fought against any dragons. He believed that Moray was somehow connected to his transformation. He just wasn't sure how.

When Thorne ceased speaking, he sat back against the tree and crossed his dragon-like arms. I moved my gaze from his face to the long scratch across his arm. I pointed at it.

"What about that?" I asked.

Thorne looked at me. "What?"

"Your cut. Where'd you get it from?"

The blue-streaked alchemist looked down at his arm. He inspected the cut thoughtfully for a moment. I watched his face carefully as he did so. His expression brightened ever so slightly, as if he suddenly realized a new fact.

"I got it from the other dragon," he stated slowly. "It cut me with its claws. And they were coated in some type of chemical substance."

My eyes brightened. "Moray must have some connection with that dragon, then. If he's an alchemist, then he must have somehow gotten the chemical onto the dragon's claws."

Thorne nodded, but didn't reply otherwise. He kept his arms crossed and seethed silently. I looked over at the dirt ground for a moment, wondering what I should say or do next. I then looked at Albert perched on my shoulder to see if he had any ideas. He did.

"Do you know what causes you to turn into a dragon?" I asked, turning back to Thorne and raising an eyebrow.

Thorne looked at me like I was an idiot. "The chemical agent. I thought we've just established that."

I gave him an icy look. "I meant, under what conditions do you turn into a dragon?" I glanced at the sky. "Moonlight, nightfall...?"

Thorne dipped his head towards the ground to think. He stayed still that way for about half a minute.

"I think...I think whatever causes me to change feeds on my anger," he finally stated.

I glanced at Albert. Speaking of anger... "You were pretty angry this morning."

Thorne looked at me. "I'm always in a bad mood, Crocness," he stated, as if I should have already known that.

"You were more angry than usual," I replied, with just as much an edge in my tone as his. "What was that all about?"

My half-human, half-dragon friend paused to think. "...It was probably the chemical agent...it might have been messing with my emotions..."

Thorne tapped his chin with his index claw. I wondered how he didn't pierce himself; those things looked pretty sharp. Not even my brother had such deadly claws.

After a moment of deep thinking, Thorne spoke again. "I don't know. I'll have to do some tests; figure out what exactly it's doing to me."

I nodded, then looked at Albert. The look on his face told me we were both thinking the same thing. Crikey, if Thorne turns into a dragon every time he gets angry, we're in big trouble.

The thought brought more questions to my mind. If this chemical agent feeds off of anger, then why didn't he turn into a dragon this morning? Like we had discussed earlier, he was pretty angry then. Maybe it's a time thing. And what caused him to change back from a dragon? Yeah, he's not completely human again, but he's not a full dragon, either. But why did he change? He was fuming the whole time we were fighting him.

Oh, that reminds me...

"We better warn the others," I stated, turning back to Thorne.

He locked his eyes with mine. "Warn them about what?"

I gave him a dead serious look. "You."

Thorne snorted and looked at the ground. "No, we don't."

I placed one of my hands on my hip. "Why not?"

Thorne turned his face towards me again. "Oy, didn't you just see what I did to Kook and my sister?"

Ah, I get it. He didn't want to admit that their injuries was his fault. But I found that a little strange. He never had a problem with hurting people.

Although, he never smacked his sister in the face or crushed Kook's arm.

"They still should know," I replied firmly. "Not only would they be in more danger than they should be if they didn't know, but they might kill you the next time they fight you as a dragon."

Thorne kept silent. I think that was his way of agreeing with me, though he didn't want to.

"What do we do the next time you change?" I wondered aloud after a brief pause.

Thorne took a quick minute to ponder the thought. "Get as far away from the castle as possible."

I nodded. Good idea. He can't destroy the castle or the people in it if he's far away from it all, right? "We should meet back here tomorrow night."

Thorne looked at me. There was a slight, surprised look in his eyes. "We?"

I nodded again. "Albert and I will join you."

The alchemist barely narrowed one eye. "Why?"

"Someone needs to keep an eye on you, and make sure you're okay. And I could probably help you cope with your new...dragon-like attributes."

Thorne glanced at his claws.

"Besides," I continued, "Albert and I both love the night. It's cool, dark, and mysterious."

Thorne quietly stared at me for a moment. And, to my surprise, a change seemed to come across him. He appeared to become more relaxed and calm. Before I could figure out why, he pushed himself up from the ground.

"Okay. We'll meet back here tomorrow night at...eight?"

I nodded, then stood up, myself. "That's fine with me."

"Okay. And...I'll just stay out here tonight. If I turn back into a dragon, I don't need to destroy the castle from the inside-out...again."

I cocked my head. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

I nodded. "Okay. So, I'll see you in the morning?"

Thorne nodded back. "Yeah."

"Alright. I'll see you then."

Without another word, Thorne turned around and started walking towards the pile of dead branches. I assumed that he was going to make some type of shelter for himself there. I turned around to leave, but then looked back at Thorne. To be honest, I actually liked his new "dragon look"; I thought it was cool.

Now, what I decided to say next wasn't an attempt to "hit on him" or anything. I only wanted to poke fun at him; see how he reacts.

"You know..."

Thorne paused, then looked back at me. "What?"

I crossed my arms and smirked at him teasingly. "You're kinda cute as a half-dragon."

**(A/N: I'm just gonna quickly revert it back to third person for the last part. Hope you don't mind.)**

Thorne stared wide-eyed at the half-human, half-reptile. Needless to say, he wasn't expecting that. He glanced around uncomfortably, making the reptile woman's smirk widen. He coughed.

"...'Kay," he returned flatly, turning back to the pile of branches.

Crocness laughed to herself, then left. Once he couldn't sense her presence any more, Thorne glanced back in her direction, then began to observe his burly, dragon-like forearms. He felt a feeling of smug satisfaction swell in his chest.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning at the castle, Crocness was standing outside Kook's room. Tinkor and Gildar were inside, tending to the injured bird's wounds. The half-human, half-reptile shifted her footing impatiently. She had been waiting for about ten minutes.

Since the half-human, half-dragon's sister was out hunting, Crocness decided to find out how Kook was doing. In a way, she was kinda glad that Shaiden wasn't back yet. She still hadn't figured out how exactly she would tell her that Thorne, her one and only brother, somehow becomes a dragon when he gets angry.

Crocness took a deep breath and looked down at her boots. _How are we gonna change Thorne back to normal?_

Suddenly, the door beside Crocness swung open, and Gildar appeared in its frame. The water monster straightened up as the viking walked into the hallway and shut the door behind him.

"How is he?" Crocness asked, looking at him.

Gildar glanced behind him at the door. "He's in a lot of pain," he sighed. "But he's keeping his spirits up by telling a bunch of...jokes."

Crocness wondered why Gildar could never got any of Kook's jokes. Or any joke, for that matter.

The viking flipped his dark hair. "But, hopefully, his arm will heal in a few weeks," he stated, trying to sound positive.

The reptile woman nodded. Just then, the blue ninja appeared in the hallway.

"Morning, guys," she greeted, walking up to the two Defenders.

Gildar's eyes widened. "Whoa, Shaiden! What happened to your face?"

"Very funny, Gildar," the ninja retorted, rolling her eyes.

"No, Shaiden, really," he replied. "You look like you just came out of a boxing match, and didn't do very well."

Now that Shaiden's face was illuminated by the lights in the hall, Crocness could notice that there was a long cut stretching across the ninja's right cheek. There was large, dark bruise engulfing it and her eye.

The ninja put a hand to her cheek. For the first time that day, she winced. "Oh, that. The stupid dragon did it." Shaiden clenched her hands into fists, and a wave of anger washed over her face. "Next time, though, it won't get away so easily. I'll make sure that its tail is ripped off when it returns."

Crocness frowned.

"That reminds me," Gildar said, "I've gotta work out some more today. That thing's not gonna get away with hurting Kook, if I have anything to do about it!"

The viking fiercely punched his right fist into the palm of his left hand. The water monster glanced at him, slightly impressed by his strong loyalty towards his friends. Gildar coughed.

"I'll see you ladies later," he stated.

With a polite wave and a turn on his boots, the viking walked away. Once he was gone, Shaiden walked in the direction opposite of him. Crocness followed her.

"Shaiden, I need to talk to you," she said.

The ninja glanced sideways at her. "What about?"

"About Thorne."

Shaiden looked at her, suddenly more interested. "What about him?"

Crocness paused to figure out how to start. "Have you noticed that he hasn't been acting like himself, lately?"

"Yes." The ninja cocked her head. "Why? Do you know what his deal is?"

"I have an idea..."

Shaiden stopped marching, then gave Crocness her undivided attention. "So? What's wrong with him?"

The half-human, half-reptile shook her head. "You're not gonna believe it."

The ninja crossed her arms indignantly. "I once watched Skabb eat three whole racks of unicorn ribs. Try me."

_Alright. _The water monster inhaled deeply. "Thorne's the dragon."

Shaiden blinked. "What?"

Crocness glared at the ninja. But, calmly, she said, "Thorne's the dragon."

Shaiden groaned. "Oh, Crocness, come on. You can't be serious."

The crocodile woman clenched her teeth. "You see? I told you that you wouldn't believe it!"

Shaiden uncrossed her arms and started walking away. "Thorne fought against that thing with us, remember?"

Crocness followed. "Not last night, remember? Kook said he was feeling sick, and that was because he was transforming!"

Shaiden turned down the hallway where the blue Defenders' bedrooms were. "You watch too many sci-fi movies, Croc."

The two stopped at Thorne's door. Crocness put her hands on her hips.

"I'll prove it. Dragons destroy everything they touch. I bet you that his room's a huge mess."

Shaiden rolled her eyes and clasped the door's handle. "Please. I bet you that he's in bed, completely human."

The ninja pushed the door open, and her jaw dropped. There was a large hole in the wall that led outside, and almost everything in the room was scratched, overturned, or ripped up. Sitting on the bed patiently was the ninja's brother himself.

Thorne, who appeared to be fully human again, was looking straight at the two ladies, and his expression hardened with anger when he saw the large bruise on his sister's face.

"Well, I guess we were both right," Crocness stated dryly.

Shaiden found her voice. "Thorne, what happened?" she cried, stepping inside.

The alchemist glanced at the wreckage, then at Crocness. "Didn't she tell you?"

The ninja stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened, and she whipped around to Crocness. The water monster nodded, and Shaiden turned back around to Thorne.

"You..."

Thorne crossed his arms stiffly. "Yeah. I was the dragon..._am_ the dragon...that attacked last night."

Shaiden gaped at her brother. "YOU were the thing that smacked me in the face?!"

Thorne snorted, then moved his gaze to the ground.

After Shaiden finished yelling at her brother that she was going to smack him upside the head later, Crocness proceeded to tell her all about Moray, his occupation, and possible connection to the dragon with the oozing claws. Thorne stared at the ground and kept quiet the whole time. The only sounds that he made were angry sighing every now and then.

The ninja, once again perfectly composed, nodded slowly once the croc-woman ceased speaking. "So, that means if Thorne was the dragon last night, then the dragon that attacked the few nights before hasn't come back yet, and we need to protect the castle from both."

Crocness nodded. The blue ninja shook her head and groaned. "Great." Shaiden turned to look at her brother. "What are we going to do about him?"

The way Shaiden put emphasis on the word "him" made the alchemist growl under his breath.

"Thorne and I talked about it last night," Crocness said. "We've concluded that he needs to be as far away from the castle as possible when he transforms."

Shaiden nodded.

"We also need to warn the other Defenders of the real danger we're in," Crocness added. "I'm gonna need your help convincing everyone that Thorne's the dragon that attacked last night."

"Got it," Shaiden replied, nodding once more.

Thorne clasped his palms over his knees, then stood up from his bed. "Fantastic," he muttered. "I'm going down to the lab. I need to figure out what exactly is happening to me."

With that, the alchemist walked briskly out of his room. He paused at the door, then looked behind him at his sister and croc-friend. A sudden look of anger crossed his face. "Oy, this ain't your room! Get out!

Shaiden rolled her eyes, and the two obeyed. Afterwards, Thorne slammed the door shut, then paced off to the lab, leaving Shaiden and Crocness by themselves.

The croc woman turned to the ninja. "I promised that I'd go with him tonight."

The ninja stared at the croc-woman intently. "What? Why? Didn't you see how destructive he got last night?"

The half-human, half-reptile shrugged. "Well, someone has to keep an eye on him. And as a half-crocodile woman myself, I could probably help him deal with his changes."

Shaiden crossed her arms. "I suppose, but I'm his sister; I should be the one accompanying him."

"Yeah, with a large bruise like that on your face," Crocness replied sarcastically.

The ninja's eyes narrowed. "At least let me go with you."

"Shaiden, Thorne feels horrible...at least I think he does...about hurting you. He needs to take his mind off of it. If he doesn't, his guilt will turn into anger (if it hasn't already), and then he'll transform."

The ninja's eyes sparked as if she was about to smirk, but her face stayed straight. "Not if he can't see me."

Crocness paused, then scanned her friend's blue outfit, suddenly noticing the black cases and sheathed Splatana. _That's right, she's a ninja._

After a moment, Crocness took a deep breath. "As long as Thorne doesn't see you, you can come."

Shaiden nodded. "I'll be lurking in the shadows."


	10. Chapter 10

Later that night, Thorne, Crocness, and sneaky Shaiden marched off towards the innermost parts of the forests surrounding the castle. Thorne hadn't turned into a dragon yet, but Crocness could tell he would any moment. The fact that he was hunching over as he walked and that his teeth started to stick out over his bottom lip indicated so.

While he was in his lab that day, Thorne discovered that the chemical agent that he had been infected with did indeed mess with his emotions, and that he would only turn into a dragon at night. He concluded that the chemical worked on some type of twenty-four hour cycle. How that was possible, he wasn't sure. The bottom line was that it made him more irritable during the day and turned him into a monster at night...using all the anger he had unintentionally stored up during the day.

Most of the Defenders had found it almost impossible to believe that Thorne was a dragon. Shaiden had even had a hard time convincing Knightriss of the truth. The knight did, however, accept Shaiden's declaration as a fact after the ninja showed her the mess in Thorne's room and explained everything she knew of Moray and the ooze on the red dragon's claws.

As Crocness walked beside Thorne in the dark, she couldn't help but wonder what Moray wanted out of all of this. Most likely, he wanted the crown of Splatalot. That's what the other dragon went after when it attacked. As one can imagine, leprechauns' gold and gnomes' jewels molded into a shimmering crown were hard to come across.

Crocness felt a light breeze sweep past her, then glanced at the surly alchemist next to her. She felt a little concerned for him. What would become of Thorne? Would the chemical wear off or would he be stuck as a dragon forever?

The water monster sighed silently and looked in front of her. _For his sake, I hope not._

Suddenly, Crocness heard a quiet groan behind her. She arrested her feet and turned to look at Thorne, who had stopped walking. He was clenching his teeth and holding his stomach.

Crocness's eyes widened. _Oh, no._

Thorne groaned again, then looked up at the croc-woman. "Crocness, I'm..."

Suddenly, Thorne gasped out in pain, then threw himself on the ground. He groaned louder than before and began to shake violently and breath quickly. Crocness immediately rushed over to his side.

"Thorne, stay with me!" she stated firmly, kneeling down.

Thorne suddenly lashed at her with a blue, scaly arm, making her leap back. She quickly pushed herself up from the ground and watched as long, silver claws jerked out from Thorne's dark blue fingertips.

_No, no, no, no! _Crocness thought, cringing.

"Thorne, calm down!" she pleaded, approaching him one more time.

Thorne replied by swiping his claws at her. If Crocness hadn't jumped back in time, both she and Albert would have been badly scratched. Crocness gaped at her friend in horror. Thorne had completely lost control of himself, and was now roaring at and clawing the trees.

Still, Crocness refused to panic. She quickly tried to think of a way to calm Thorne down. What could she do? What would be a good way to get rid of his anger?

_Well...when I'm angry, it sometimes helps just to...let it all out..._

Crocness suddenly got an idea. She turned back to Thorne, her eyes sparking brightly.

"Hey! Dragon boy!"

Thorne, now looking more like a dragon than a human, whipped his head around and seethed at the croc-woman.

"Show me how loud you can roar, little beast!" she shouted.

Crocness demonstrated by roaring, herself. The dragon lowered itself a bit, and growled, seemingly thinking. A quick moment later, it lifted itself up and reciprocated Croc's fierce cry, but louder. The water monster just laughed mockingly.

"Come on, put some effort into it!" Crocness yelled back.

The dragon snarled, then roared again, even louder than the last time. Crocness roared back just as fierce.

"A female crocodile can do better than that!"

The blue dragon snarled back indignantly, then roared again. Crocness tossed her head, seemingly unimpressed.

"You call that a roar? I call that a whimper!"

The cycle of Crocness challenging Thorne to roar and taunting him because it wasn't good enough went on for about five minutes. Shaiden watched the challenge from the shadows. At first, she was confused. However, when the insane, murderous look in Thorne's eyes left after he roared for the tenth time, she understood what Crocness was trying to do. The more Thorne roared, the less angry he became. All the anger that was bottled up inside him came out in ferocious roars.

Eventually, the dragon wasn't feeling as indignant as before; it was now more interested in winning the croc-woman's approval. Once again, it lifted its head upwards and roared again, louder than ever before. Then, it locked its steel-gray eyes on the reptilian woman.

"Hmm...I'm almost impressed," Crocness declared, crossing her arms. "Roar again! Show me what you're really made of!"

The dragon growled, lifted its neck up towards the night sky, and let out the greatest roar yet. The loud cry shook the trees, the ground, and made Crocness lift an eyebrow. The dragon quieted down, then looked at Crocness, waiting for an evaluation.

Crocness tapped her boot, pretending to think. She then nodded. "That was actually pretty good. I must say, I'm impressed. Well done."

The blue dragon lifted its head up high, feeling quite pleased with itself. It gave a loud roar of victory. Crocness smirked.

Suddenly, the dragon's dilated eyes constricted. It looked around, as if it just realized where it was. The blue beast began taking deep breaths. It stumbled slightly, then sank to the ground and shut its eyes. Crocness watched as her dragon friend slowly began to change back into a human. Just like before, the transformation stopped at an unfinished point, making the English Defender look like a dragon and human mix.

After a silent moment, Thorne opened his eyes. He blinked a couple times, then looked up at the reptilian woman in front of him. "...Crocness?"

Crocness sighed in relief, then offered Thorne her hand. "You alright?" she asked, helping him up.

Thorne realized what had just happened, then nodded slowly. "I'm fine."

Thorne removed his gaze from Croc's face and put it on his arms. They looked the same way they did the previous night. He then examined one of his dark blue hands and long, sharp, silver claws. Crocness blinked with surprise when he managed to sheath them. Thorne looked at her, sheathed the claws on his other hand, then wiped his palms over his chainmail shirt.

"Now that we're out here, what do we do?" he inquired, glancing at the tops of the trees glowing in the moonlight.

An adventurous gleam shone in Crocness's eyes. "Why don't we explore? We're hardly ever out here, and I want to know if there's a lake lying about."

Thorne shrugged. "Why not?"

Crocness smiled. "Great." She turned to her pet. "Sound like fun, Albert?"

The reptilian woman's smile widened when Albert gave her a positive response. She then turned back to Thorne, who was busy staring at her face.

The way Thorne was looking at the crocodile woman made Shaiden lift her eyebrows. _Kook sometimes stares at me like that._

Crocness narrowed an eye. "What?"

Thorne blinked. He quickly took a step back and shook his head, disgusted with himself. "Nothing." He started walking away. "Come on, let's go."

Crocness stared at him oddly as he marched past her. After a moment, though, she just shrugged, then followed after him. Shaiden was silently watching them from the dark. She had her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

**A/N: Happy New Year!**


	11. Chapter 11

Two weeks had passed. Night after night, the three Defenders returned to the same spot in the forest. Night after night, Thorne got easier to calm down. But, day after day, Crocness became more worried about Thorne.

The half-human, half-reptile noticed that Thorne was getting more aggressive during daylight. She was sure it was because the chemical agent was altering his DNA. At night, his transformation would start earlier and last longer. It was just by a few seconds' difference each night, but, night by night, they would soon add up. In a matter of time, Thorne would be stuck as a dragon for the rest of his life.

But there was another reason why Thorne was acting more angry during the day. Crocness hadn't figured that one out yet.

Thorne was getting frustrated with himself. Everytime he was around Crocness, he got this strange, unfamiliar, almost content feeling. It made him calmer and, to an extent, happier. Thorne knew exactly what the emotion was, and he didn't like it one bit. It wasn't supposed to happen. Not to _him. _He wasn't supposed the fall in love, not with anyone, not ever.

He was convinced that it was the chemical agent's fault. He was sure it was poisoning him, and making him feel this strange way. Everyday in his lab, he tried as hard as he could to change himself back to normal. But nothing he made ever worked.

At first, whenever his finished antidote didn't work, he would just grumble to himself slam his hand on one of the counters. But as time went on, and still nothing worked, he would do more than just grumble. Eventually, he got to the point of yelling and throwing things across the lab when yet another attempt failed.

And he would only stop screaming and flinging things when Crocness appeared in the doorway and reminded him to calm down.

This particular day, when Thorne returned to the castle from the forest around ten o' clock in the morning, he decided to stay away from the lab. He was tired of doing countless tests and calculations, and ending up with failed results.

So, after grabbing some breakfast, Thorne decided to take a walk around the castle grounds. He intentionally made sure to avoid all of the other Defenders. He didn't want to deal with any taunts or angry remarks. He was sure some of them were probably upset with him.

Thorne wandered around the courtyard for a while before marching into the Stockade. Suddenly, as he walked across the Pardoning Platform, he could sense someone approaching him from behind. He stopped walking when he heard their distinctive voice.

"Hey, Thorne!"

The said Defender growled, then turned around. He was about to snarl at the Australian bird to go away when he froze. His face softened when he saw Kook's arm in a sling. He could suddenly feel a very faint sting of guilt.

Thorne calmly straightened his arched back. "Hey." He took a deep breath. "How's your arm?"

The bird glanced at his injured limb. "It still hurts a little, but Gildar said it should be completely healed in a few more weeks." Kook smirked. "At least that means less work around the castle for me!"

Kook laughed in his unique, high-pitched way.

"What are you doing out here?" the alchemist asked, ignoring his urge to comment that he thought the bird's laugh was really annoying.

Kookaburra glanced back at the castle. "Gildar wanted me to get some fresh air. He said that I've been stuck inside the castle for too long."

Thorne nodded. He looked down into the Stockade and thought about his pesky emotions. He suddenly remembered that Kookaburra had gone through the same thing.

He sighed. Thorne didn't want to talk to Kookaburra about it, but he didn't think Skabb or Tinkor would be very helpful, and he would choose Kook over Gildar.

The surly Defender turned back to the green-haired bird. "Kook, I need...I want to ask you something."

The bird blinked with surprise. "Really? What?"

"Why do you like Shaiden?" the alchemist asked, crossing his arms.

Hearing this, Kook's face turned bright red. He glanced around uncomfortably. He then smiled awkwardly at Thorne, hoping that his suddenly hard expression would soften a little. It didn't.

"W-Well, uh, um..." Kook hesitated. "She's...she's very pretty..."

The bird smiled nervously, hoping Thorne wouldn't kill him just for saying that. Much to his surprise, however, Thorne was staring at the ground, thinking.

_Well, that doesn't help; I think Croc's more scary than pretty...although, I like scary...and her eyes, on the other hand..._Thorne blinked when he realized what he was thinking. He growled under his breath. _Shut up!_

A pause.

"Is that it?" Thorne asked, looking back at Kook. "Is that all it takes to fall in love with someone?"

Kook paused. "Um...no, I don't think so. There's also the matter of personality, skills, and stuff..."

Thorne grunted and looked out at the courtyard. Though Thorne was being a bit subtle about it, Kook figured out why he was asking him these questions, although who it was he liked was still a mystery to the bird. Normally, he would have teased the alchemist about it, but he didn't want to be responsible for Thorne's next dragon transformation.

The Australian bird hesitated before he spoke. "There's nothing wrong with liking someone."

The Defender with the mohawk stared angrily at the kookaburra.

"N-Not that you do," Kook added quickly. "But stuff like that's normal, mate! It happens!"

_Well, it's not supposed to happen to me!_ Thorne thought, baring half of his teeth, which frightened the bird a little bit.

Another pause.

"Why do you ask? Is Shaiden interested?" Kook asked with a smile, trying to loosen the tension and hide the fact that he knew what Thorne was feeling.

The alchemist glared at the bird. "My sister wouldn't date you even if you were the last man on the planet!"

"For your information, I'm not a man, I'm a bird!" Kook retaliated with a smirk.

***

Later that night, Crocness and Thorne were back in the forest. They had found a lake a couple weeks before, and they were currently standing in front of it. Crocness had allowed her pet to go for a swim, so she was busy watching him. Thorne was busy telling himself to get rid of his romantic emotions.

_You're not supposed to be in love,_ he told himself. _Besides, she's not even in to you... _

Thorne blinked, then looked at the Defender standing next to him, recalling that she had told him he was cute as a half-dragon. Did she really mean that?

"Crocness?"

The reptilian woman looked at her comrade. "Yes, Thorne?"

Thorne instantly regretted deciding to ask. He paused. "...Are you ready for the Attackers? They should be coming in a few more weeks."

Crocness nodded. "I'm ready."

Thorne nodded back, then looked down at his boots. He was reminded that Ballista still hadn't got him those articles of clothing she had promised him. He really needed a new pair of boots.

"As a whole, though, I don't think anyone's ready," Crocness said suddenly.

Thorne looked at her. "What do you mean?"

The reptile woman looked out towards the lake. "Well, Kook's still unable to defend. And with the recent dragon attacks and your current condition, things have been put off." Crocness turned to Thorne. "You haven't been making any slime, goo, or foam, have you?"

Thorne shook his head.

Crocness sighed. "We should be busy getting ready. And we need to find a way turn you back to normal."

Thorne silently stared at the crocodile woman for a long moment before he spoke again. "We'll get through this, Crocness. Just like we did when we first arrived; when all sorts of beasts went after us. And now most of them have become part of Skabb's skull collection."

Crocness laughed. "You're right." She took a deep, refreshing breath. "Ah, those were some good times, eh?"

"Yeah." Thorne paused. "Remember during one target practice I "accidentally" shot Gildar with the Splatzooka?"

Crocness smirked. "How could I forget that? The look on his face was priceless!"

Thorne cackled. Crocness smiled, then looked back at the lake. All of a sudden, her eyes widened with alarm.

"Albert!"

Thorne whipped his head to the lake. A large, monstrous boa constrictor had wrapped itself around Crocness's beloved pet. Albert was strong, but the thick snake had already overpowered him. Thorne unsheathed his claws and glanced at Croc.

"I'll get-"

Thorne blinked. Crocness wasn't standing there. He suddenly heard a loud splash. Turning, he found that the croc-woman was already in the lake, wading towards the struggle. It wasn't long until she was pulling the snake from her pet with her bare hands.

"GET AWAY FROM MY ALBERT!" she screamed.

Thorne stared at the crocodile warrior as she tore the snake apart from Albert, his mouth partly open. As he stood there, only one word came to mind:

_Wow..._

Thorne couldn't help it; he was impressed by how strong the reptile woman was and how fiercely she fought for her best friend.

It was then, as Crocness grabbed the constrictor's snout and mercilessly squeezed it, that Thorne saw everything he admired about her. The other Defenders might think differently, but to Thorne, Crocness was absolutely beautiful the way she was.

The ninja was watching the scene from the shadows. Particularly, she had her eyes locked on her half-dragon, half-human brother. She momentarily averted her gaze to the lake, where Crocness was beating the life out of the unlucky snake.

_I thought that boa constrictors lived in South America._

Shaiden returned her gaze to her brother when she concluded that the Attackers were getting more desperate, and had the snake imported to Canada. Suddenly, Shaiden's jaw dropped.

Thorne was smiling.


	12. Chapter 12

The battle between Albert and the boa constrictor didn't end so well. For the snake, anyway. Crocness had fought valiantly, and as a result, her beloved Albert was once again safe and sound, happily perched on her shoulder.

A week from that night had passed, and Thorne had finally accepted the fact that he really liked Crocness. She had deeply impressed him with her warrior's spirit, and even before that, he had already liked her better than any of the other Defenders. (Well, besides Shaiden, of course.)

In fact, Thorne liked Crocness so much that he wanted a night alone with her. For a dinner date.

So, on this day, Thorne decided to set up the event for the next night. And in order to do that, he had to take extreme measures. Thorne couldn't believe what he was about to do, but he didn't have any other good options.

The alchemist forced himself to walk into the Stockade where he knew his viking comrade would be working out. Because it was Crocness he wanted to impress, he specifically needed Gildar's assistance.

_I cannot believe I'm doing this,_ Thorne thought with a cringe. He stepped one boot onto the wooden catwalk, then did the same with the other. He took a deep breath, then swallowed his pride.

"Gildar, I need some advice."

The viking was hanging from the Pardoning Platform, doing some pull-ups. When he heard Thorne's voice, he paused, then looked over at the alchemist. With a mighty heave, he lifted himself onto the purple boards of the Stockade, then straightened himself up.

"Advice?" Gildar inquired. He grinned in a cocky manner. "Advice for what?"

Thorne glanced down at his ripped-up boots. "What do you know about dating?"

Gildar stared at the alchemist for a moment, surprised. When he recovered from his slight shock, he lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

Brief pause.

"A hand..." Thorne almost vomited. "...A handsome guy like you might know a thing or two."

The vain Defender smiled and proudly flipped his hair. "Thorne, you've come to the right viking." He patted the railing next to him, gesturing for Thorne to come closer.

Thorne grudgingly walked over to his coworker. He crossed his arms and gave Gildar his undivided attention.

The viking flipped his hair again, casually leaned against the railing, then folded his hands together. "What do you want to know specifically?"

"What makes a good date."

"Hold on, buddy," Gildar said, holding one of his hands up.

Thorne gave him a look.

"First off," the viking continued, "you need to know what a date is. What purpose it serves. A date is an activity, anything from dining to sky diving, shared between two people of the opposite gender with the intent to build or develop a relationship. Make sense so far?"

Thorne nodded.

"Second off: what kind of activity are you interested in?"

"Dinner date."

Gildar nodded. "Dinner dates are all about the moment; the atmosphere; the feeling."

"Okay."

"Now, onto your question: what makes a good date. For a good dinner date, you need good food and good scenery. But you shouldn't want to settle for only "good." You want it to be better than good, right?"

Thorne shrugged. "I guess."

"For an even better date, you must have fantastic food and amazing scenery." Gildar whipped out his little red mirror and stared at it. "And I've got half of those essentials already."

Thorne rolled his eyes, then waited for Gildar to continue. When he didn't, Thorne decided to move onto the next part of his inquiry. "You were once married to Crocness, correct?"

Gildar blinked, then looked back at Thorne. "What?"

"You were once married to Crocness, right?"

Gildar scowled. "I told that to Skabb in confidence," he muttered, looking back at his mirror.

The alchemist smirked. While the viking was distracted with his reflection, the English Defender asked his next question. "When you two were dating, what kind of stuff did she like?"

Gildar stared intently at his mirror as if he was watching a series of flashbacks in the glass. "As far as I can remember...she liked dark, mysterious scenery...and moss. She loved eating all sorts of meat...I recall that on out first date, she ordered chicken, meatballs, ribs, salmon...any type of meat she could get ahold of." Gildar's eyes gleamed. "Wow, I was handsome that night..."

Thorne gave the viking a look. _You have got to be kidding me._

"Crocness," Gildar mumbled. "She looks like a warrior and eats like one."

Thorne nodded. "That'll do, Gildar," he said, backing up a bit. "Thanks."

"No problem," the viking replied absent-mindedly, smiling at his reflection.

***

The next day, around eleven in the morning, the blue ninja was walking towards her brother's lab. She hadn't seen him all day, and the lab was the first place she suspected him to be.

She arrived at the lab, then leaned her ear against the door and listened. When she heard some familiar sounds, such as glass clanging against each other and bubbling liquids, she clasped her hand on the door's handle and pushed the door open.

Looking inside, she saw Thorne had his back turned to her, and was working with some bottles of chemicals.

"Morning, Thorne."

"Morning," the alchemist replied, not bothering to look at his sister.

"Have you figured out how to change yourself back to normal?"

"No."

Thorne stated the negative with such calmness and with an almost careless attitude that Shaiden's eyes widened with surprise. She quickly shook the feeling off, stepped inside the lab, and shut the door.

"What are you doing, then?"

"Things."

The ninja walked closer to her brother. When she was within six feet of him, she saw that one of the containers on his counter was a bottle of sparkling grape juice. Thorne glanced at his sister, then picked the bottle up and poured some of its contents into a large test tube.

"Shaiden, can you do me a favor?"

The ninja crossed her arms. "Depends. What it is?"

Thorne set the bottle of sparkling grape juice down. "Can you stay behind at the castle tonight?"

Shaiden blinked with shock. He knew that she had been following him? How was that possible? The alchemist's sister quickly composed herself, then asked, "How did you find out?"

"Kook told me," Thorne stated stoically. "Crocness had already told him what you were up to a few weeks ago."

Shaiden growled and looked at the door. "I'm gonna break his neck," she muttered under her breath.

Thorne poured something else into the test tube with the sparkling grape juice, then set the container down. He turned to his sister. "Look, I just want to spend one night alone with Crocness."

Shaiden knew what her brother was up to, but even then she asked, "Why?"

Thorne's face colored slightly. He glanced to the side. "Just...because." A look of aggressiveness suddenly hardened Thorne's expression. "Well, you've been watching my every move, so you should know!"

Shaiden lifted her eyebrows. After a moment, Thorne realized how sharp his response had been. He lowered his head and sighed, then looked back at his sister. There was an apologetic gleam in his eyes.

"Shaiden, can you leave us alone just for tonight?"

The ninja shifted her footing hesitantly. She didn't think that was such a good idea. What if the night ended badly? What if Thorne made a fool of himself? What if Crocness rejected him and he got so mad he'd...

Shaiden almost shuddered at the thought. It might be too risky to leave Crocness on her own with him. So many bad things could happen.

Although, Crocness was pretty good at taking care of herself. If Thorne got out of control, she'd know what to do. Additionally, Thorne had been really good at staying calm during the night. The past few nights, he hadn't turned into a "full dragon" at all. Maybe they would be just fine on their own.

Hopefully.

"...Alright," Shaiden reluctantly replied. "I'll leave you two by yourselves."

Thorne almost smiled, but nodded instead. "Thanks."

Shaiden nodded back. Without another word, Thorne turned back to his work, and his sister slowly turned on her heels to leave. After exiting the lab and shutting the door behind her, she set her course for the courtyard.

But even after she reached her destination, the unsure feeling in her stomach had not left.


	13. Chapter 13

It was seven twenty-five at night. Crocness was marching through the forest, alone, thinking about the message Thorne had left her.

_Crocness, meet me at the lake at seven thirty tonight. I've already left._

Crocness found it a little odd that Thorne went to the forest by himself. He had never done that before. But she was fine with it. She just couldn't figure out why he left early.

When Crocness was still a little ways away from her destination, she noticed a blue glow near the lake. There was also a tasty aroma lingering in the air. She tipped her head to the side a bit, then marched on.

When she arrived at the lake, she was surprised. Standing about fifteen feet away from the lake was a table. It was covered in food and utensils. Surrounding it were some moss-covered rocks. Around the area was a long, drooping stand of blue lights, which glowed in the pale moonlight. The atmosphere had a mysterious feeling to it, which Crocness liked.

The half-human, half-reptile's eyes followed the line of lights to a nearby tree. Thorne, who was half-human, half-dragon, was clinging to the tree with his claws, currently tying the strand of lights to a branch.

Crocness walked over to him. "What's all this?"

"Dinner," Thorne stated stoically, making sure the line of ghostly blue lights was secure.

The alchemist, satisfied with the positioning of the strand, leapt down from the tree and landed on all fours. He stood up, then walked over to the table he had brought.

"I've got chicken, ribs, steak, barbeque sauce, bread, butter, and sparkling grape juice," he said, pointing to each item with a silver claw as he spoke. Thorne then moved his gaze to the astonished croc-woman's face. "What do you think?"

Crocness stared at the table. "It..." When she looked at the meat, she felt her stomach growl. She lifted her head to Thorne and grinned. "It sounds good."

Thorne almost smiled back, but restrained himself and nodded. He walked to the end of the table and pulled out the chair in front of it. Crocness took a seat after he motioned for her to sit down. Thorne walked to the other side of the table and sat down, himself.

"What do you want to try first?" he asked.

***

"Gildar, come on! Keep up!"

"I'm working on it! Not everyone's as fast as the speed of light, you know!"

The viking received a loud groan. Then there was brief pause. All that could be heard was Gildar's heavy boots stepping on multiple twigs and leaves. And on the ground.

"Shaiden, do we really have to do this?" Gildar inquired a minute later. "I don't like it out here! It's too dark to see my handsome reflection!"

"Yes," the ninja replied sternly, silently leaping over a log. "I don't believe that Thorne has been thinking straight. I'm worried that this night may not end well."

Shaiden felt a sting of guilt as she pressed on. She felt bad about breaking her promise to her brother, but she wanted to make sure both he and Crocness would be okay.

Suddenly, Gildar loudly tripped over the log Shaiden had just jumped over. The ninja whipped around to the fallen viking.

"Will you be quiet?" she hissed.

"I'm sorry, but I was not the one who asked me to come along!" Gildar hissed back, pushing himself up.

Earlier that day, Shaiden had asked Gildar for help, just in case the date with Thorne and Crocness would end badly. And by "end badly," I mean that Thorne would turn into a dragon and go on a violent rampage.

A few minutes later, Shaiden and Gildar reached their destination. Shaiden crept behind the trees, and Gildar soon appeared beside her. They were close enough to see what was going on, but far away enough that Crocness and Thorne couldn't hear them.

"There they are," Shaiden whispered.

The vain viking set his eyes on what Shaiden was staring at. He observed the cool, mysterious scenery for a quick moment, then looked at the two Defenders at the table. Thorne was busy serving Crocness a thick slice of steak. Even though his face had only a shadow of a smile on it, anyone could tell that he was happy.

Gildar was amused. "I didn't know Thorne was a romantic," he stated, smirking.

The ninja shrugged. "I'm not surprised; he _is_ a bit of a softy."

***

Thorne looked up from his steak to check on Crocness. She had just finished her steak and chicken, and had moved on to ravenously eating her ribs.

"What do you think?"

Crocness swallowed, then looked up at him. "These are great," she replied, picking up another rib.

The pleased feeling that rose in Thorne's chest almost forced a smile onto his face.

"You cooked all of this?" Crocness inquired, pausing from eating more meat.

Thorne nodded. "I cooked the chicken and the ribs, then barbequed the steak."

Crocness took another bite of her rib. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks."

Thorne glanced at Crocness's empty glass sitting next to her plate. He reached over the table, grabbed it, then set it next to his. He grabbed the bottle sitting next to him and filled the crocodile woman's glass with sparkling, dark red juice.

"Here, try this," he advised, handing the glass back to Crocness.

The half-human, half-reptile wiped her hands on a napkin, then took the glass into her hands. Thorne watched her carefully as she took a sip of the sweet drink.

"This is good," she said a few seconds later.

"I made a few alterations to its original formula," the alchemist explained, turning his attention back to his steak.

Crocness drank the rest of her juice, then set the empty glass down. After doing so, she folded her hands together and looked at Thorne seriously. "Okay, who did you kill?"

Thorne looked up from his plate. "What?"

"Why did you do all this? You wouldn't have set this up unless you killed someone, right?" Crocness paused. "If it was Gildar, then I'll let it slide."

Thorne gripped the edge of his fork as he contemplated telling Crocness about the way he felt about her. He was starting to doubt that he should.

He was pretty sure that he liked her. But if he liked her enough to want her to be his girlfriend was another matter. (Although, as he stared at her fierce, sparkling eyes, he was beginning to warm up to the idea.)

Also, he was worried whether or not he would still feel the same way after he was cured from his dragon transformation issue. His emotions have constantly been off and on. However, as he thought about it further, this romantic feeling he had towards Crocness had been consistent.

Crocness stared back at Thorne, waiting patiently for an answer. Thorne took a deep, nervous breath. It's also always nerve-racking for one to admit that they like someone, especially to that person's face. Especially if they had no idea how that person would respond.

_Just tell her, _Thorne told himself._ Find out how she feels._

Thorne tapped the end of his fork on the table. "Well..."

***

Gildar looked down at the ninja crouched beside him. "Shaiden, they're just fine. I think we can leave them alone."

Shaiden kept her eyes on her brother for a moment longer. Then, reluctantly, she replied, "You're probably right."

Gildar arrogantly flipped his hair. "When am I not?"

The ninja rolled her eyes, then looked back at her older brother. After another moment, she smiled. Who knew that Thorne would fall in love, let alone with Crocness?

"I wonder if I can see my reflection better here..."

Shaiden blinked, then turned to the viking in horror. He had his mirror in his hands, and it was dangerously close to the moon's pale rays.

"Gildar, no!"

The ninja grabbed the viking's mirror, but not before it glinted in the moonlight. It was only for half a second, but Crocness still noticed it.

"What was that?" she asked, looking around Thorne.

The alchemist turned around. "What?"

"I saw a flash."

Thorne stared out at the forest. A few seconds later, he set his fork down, then stood up from his chair. "I'll go check," he stated, anger underlining his tone.

By the time Thorne started pacing away, Shaiden had already finished smacking Gildar across the face.

"You idiot!" she growled.

"Sorry!" Gildar replied, rubbing his cheek. "But was the slap really necessary?"

Shaiden groaned, then turned around. "Come on, we have to go," she whispered angrily, running away.

"What about my mirror?"

"Take it and shut up!" Shaiden hissed, throwing the mirror at him.

Gildar caught his red mirror, then quickly followed after the ninja.

"Ahem."

Both Shaiden and Gildar skidded to a stop. They turned around to see Thorne standing in the moonlight with his arms crossed, glaring at them. Shaiden cringed.

_Great._

"Hey, Thorne," the viking said, flashing a cocky smile.

Thorne pointed at the two, then at the ground. The blue alchemist kept a heavy, angry stare on his sister and Gildar as they carefully walked over to him. Crocness appeared next to him when he opened his mouth to speak. Or, rather, yell.

"Shaiden, you promised me that you'd stay at the castle tonight!" the alchemist cried, his fangs sticking out more than usual.

Shaiden gazed at her brother with a look of regret. "Thorne, just listen-"

"And you brought him with you!" the alchemist snapped, pointing at Gildar.

"Thorne, please!" Shaiden replied. "We just wanted to make sure everything went okay!"

Crocness stepped in. "Wait, what are you talking about? What's going on?" She turned to Thorne. "Make sure what went okay?"

Gildar narrowed one of his eyes. "You don't know? He was treating you to a dinner date."

Shaiden shook violently, then turned to the viking. "You know, I think you've really mastered the 'Mumbling Moron' move."

Thorne was seething at the viking. His fists were clenched and his face had turned bright red. Crocness looked at Thorne and crossed her arms.

"A date?" she asked.

The alchemist turned back to the reptile woman. There was something in her tone that made Thorne's hard look soften. "I..." He stared at her for a moment, trying to think of how to explain. What he could say to defend himself.

Finally, he sighed, then humbly nodded. "...Yes."

"You mean like a romantic date?"

Thorne felt his cheeks grow warmer. "...Yes."

The water monster stared at him. Whether she was angry, amused, or astonished was hard to determine. But it was awkward nevertheless whatever she was feeling.

After what seemed to be an eternity to Thorne, Crocness turned back to the ninja and viking. "And you two knew about this?"

Shaiden drew in a deep breath. "Yes. Look, I'm sorry we interrupted your evening, but we wanted to make sure everything went okay."

Crocness nodded slowly. "Just in case he..."

Shaiden nodded back. "Yes."

"And you promised to stay behind at the castle tonight?" Crocness inquired.

Shaiden sighed. "I did."

The half-human, half-reptile nodded again, but didn't say anything. Gildar took a deep breath, then looked over at Thorne. His eyes widened.

"Shaiden? Crocness?"

Shaiden moved her gaze to the viking. "What?"

Gildar pointed in front of him. The two ladies turned. They were immediately alarmed when they saw Thorne hunched over, baring his teeth and holding his stomach.

Thorne was angry. And I mean _really _angry. All he wanted was just one evening, alone, with Crocness. That's all he asked for. But his sister didn't respect that; she even brought Gildar with her!

But Thorne wasn't just angry; he was also frustrated, and even embarrassed. And when those three emotions mix, the results are not by any means pleasant.

"Thorne, no!" Crocness cried.

Thorne roared angrily in reply, and his arms turned completely blue. His fangs jutted out as far as they could go, and his claws jerked out half an inch. The three human Defenders watched in horror as Thorne, now a dark blue dragon, rapidly grew in size.

Then everything went black.


	14. Chapter 14

Thorne breathed heavily, then opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a field of dew-covered grass. He then realized that he was lying on his stomach on the ground. He glanced up at the trees touching the light blue sky, then at the side to see the large body of water sparkling in the early morning sunlight.

When he sat up, Thorne felt a dull, aching pain in the back of his head. He cringed and moved his hand to the throbbing area. Suddenly, he felt something pierce the surface of his skin. He yanked his hand in front of him, and that's when his eyes brightened with alarm.

His hand hadn't changed back to human form. It was still blue and scaly, and there were silver claws reflecting the warm sunlight. Thorne looked over at his other hand. It too was covered in blue scales. He viewed his torn-up boots, and saw that his feet didn't look human, either.

Thorne pushed himself up off the forest foor and dashed for the lake. When he reached its edge, he dropped down on his knees and observed the water's gleaming surface. The alchemist felt a strong wave of anxiety pass over him as he stared at his reflection. There were two fangs curling over his bottom lip.

This was not good. It was morning; he should have already turned back to normal. Much to his horror, Thorne realized that his transformation, if not taken care of soon, would become permanent. Maybe even in just a few days.

Thorne groaned, then lifted himself up from the ground. Then quickly, he ran straight for the Splatalot castle.

As he ran, images of the previous night flooded his mind. The half-human, half-dragon watched the whole thing replay itself, and could even feel all the emotions that came with every scene. Especially anger.

Thorne pushed the last memory out of his head, and ran even faster as frustration pulsed through his blood. He muttered to himself that Gildar and Shaiden should have stayed back at the castle, and wondered why his sister didn't listen to him.

To answer his question, he recalled that Shaiden had told Crocness that she and Gildar came just to make sure everything went okay.

_Well, it didn't, did it? _Thorne thought bitterly.

Suddenly, a new thought came to mind, and it replaced his anger with fear.

_What happened after that?_

Eventually, the blue alchemist arrived at the Splatalot Kingdom. He stopped running to catch his breath. As he did, he wondered whether entering the stone fortress was a good idea or not. How violent did he get last night?

He wasn't sure, but the unpleasant feeling he felt in his chest told him that things didn't go very well.

Finally, Thorne straightened up, took a deep breath, then headed for the castle's large front doors. He reluctantly pushed them open, then slowly entered.

Thorne was careful not to make any noise as he walked through the fortress. He set his ears on high alert and listened for any sounds from the other Defenders. It wasn't long until he detected low voices coming from the direction of the dining hall. Thorne instantly set his course for the cafeteria.

As he came closer, the alchemist could pick up more bits of a conversation. The doors to the dining room were partly open, so when he arrived at the side of its entrance, he coud hear everything clearly. Thorne silently laid his back against the wall and listened.

"Does that help?" Kookaburra asked.

"A little bit," Shaiden replied quietly.

A pause.

"Do you want me to get any pain relief medicine?" Gildar inquired.

"No."

"Do you need any, Gildar?" Ballista asked.

"...I'm good," the viking stated less confidently.

Thorne felt the bad feeling in his chest worsen. Slowly, he crept from the wall and peered inside the dining room.

All of the other Defenders were inside the cafeteria. The center of attention was Thorne's sister. Shaiden was sitting on a chair, and Kook was pressing an ice pack on her left arm set on top of the table. One foot was propped up on a chair, and both of her boots were caked with mud. Her right cheek was badly scratched, and her entire face was dark with fatigue and pain.

Gildar was resting one of his hands on the table, watching the blue ninja. Thorne noticed multiple cuts, bruises, and a large welt on his left arm. He couldn't see his right arm, but he imagined it was just as bad. The viking was leaning over the table in such a way that it was obvious that he was in pain.

The blue alchemist immediately realized what had happened, and could already feel guilt well up in his chest.

"I really need a shower," Gildar muttered, running his hand through his mattered hair.

Ballista patted him sympathetically.

Crocness was standing in the corner with a solemn expression on her face. She was busy staring at the ground. She took a deep breath, then looked up at Gildar.

"How hard did you smack him, last night?"

Thorne's eyes darted to the croc-woman. To his relief, he couldn't detect any signs of injury.

"Just enough to knock him out," Gildar replied. "But he'll be fine."

_That explains the headache,_ Thorne thought.

The viking glanced to the side. "He should be waking up by now."

The croc-woman looked back at the ground.

Gildar hesitated. "Crocness?"

The half-human, half-reptile looked back at him.

"About Thorne...did you know that he liked you?"

Everyone put their eyes on Crocness. After she was quiet for a moment, she slowly shook her head.

"I had no clue."

Kook glanced at Shaiden before looking back at Crocness. "Um...do you..." He shrugged. "...You know..."

Crocness stared at him, her face expressionless. "I don't feel the same way."

She stated the fact so coldly and stoically that Thorne stepped away from the door. He stared at it, unsure how to react. Then, as he realized that Crocness had just rejected him, a new emotion began to fill his heart.

He was hurt.

Thorne started breathing heavily as he tried fighting back his heartache. He pushed it away, but it just came back. The more he fought, the more hurt and angry he became. Finally, the pain came back so strong that he lost control and roared.

Almost instantly, the dining hall's doors swung open. Skabb and Ballista were standing there, watching as Thorne slammed himself against the wall. He roared again, then turned towards the door.

"Dragon boy's back," Ballista called, a bit of scorn in her tone.

Thorne snarled, then threw himself to the ground. Ballista and Skabb glanced at each other, then ran out and grabbed Thorne by the arms. He instinctively fought to be let go, but he fought even harder to retain control of himself.

The other Defenders had gathered near the door to see what was going on. Ballista groaned as Thorne jerked left and right. She looked across at Knightriss.

"What do we do?" she shouted.

"Get him in here!" Crocness called, cutting her leader off.

With another loud groan, Ballista and Skabb dragged the half-human, half-dragon into the dining hall. By the time they got him inside, he had calmed down a little bit. But not by much. Crocness cut her way through her fellow Defenders and knelt down next to Thorne.

"Thorne, please, calm down!" she pleaded.

Crocness's voice made Thorne pause. He looked up at her. Suddenly, his eyes flashed and he cried out again. Skabb and Ballista held him even tighter as the alchemist continued to struggle. Crocness looked at Knightriss, who gazed back helplessly.

Just then, Thorne felt a cool, firm object on the back of his neck and the very top of his back. For whatever reason, it made him feel calmer, and his violent jerks began to stop.

"Just chill, mate," Kook said, putting more pressure on the cold ice pack. "Take deep breaths."

Thorne obeyed. As he let air fill his lungs, he felt drops of sweat roll down the side of his face. After a minute, he was able to open his eyes. He looked around at the alarmed expressions on his fellow Defenders' faces.

No one spoke for a minute.

"Feel better, mate?" Kook asked.

Thorne sighed in reply.

Shaiden carefully sat up. She flinched when she felt a sharp pain in her leg, but spoke calmly and carefully. "Thorne, why are you still half-dragon?"

The alchemist looked at his sister, then at Crocness, who was standing next to her. He felt another sting of pain and jerked forward with a cringe. Skabb and Ballista clenched him even tighter.

"Easy, mate," Kook said, pressing the ice pack down a bit harder.

Thorne clenched his teeth together and began taking deep breaths again. A minute later, he came to his senses, and was able to speak between heavy breaths.

"My condition...it's becoming...it's becoming permanent. And I...I haven't figured out how to... cure myself."

Shaiden's eyes sparked with panic.

"And I...I wouldn't be able to figure anything...anything out today." Thorne glanced at his blue arms locked in Ballista and Skabb's steel grip, then gazed at his sister helplessly. "Not like this."

A silent minute passed. Shaiden sighed, then turned to the leader of the Defenders. "What are we gonna do?"

Everyone else turned to Knightriss. She glanced at everyone, then drew in a deep breath. She hesitated.

"Well...there is one thing that we can do," she replied. "I don't like it, but..."

Thorne put his eyes on her. "What?"

Knightriss was silent for a long moment. And when she finally spoke again, her voice was quieter than usual. "We could put him in the dungeon until he's completely human again."

No one, not even Thorne, said anything, so Knightriss continued.

"I had Tinkor make special bonds and chains a few weeks ago. They're supposed to be dragon proof. If we chained him up, he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone."

"Do it."

Everyone stared at Thorne in surprise. A sudden look of anger darkened his face.

"If you already had them ready for me a few weeks ago, then why don't you do it? Chain me up!" Thorne jerked. "Just do it! Now!"

The barbarian and blonde archer tightened their grip around Thorne's arms. Thorne took more deep breaths, then looked back at his fellow Defenders. No one protested. The alchemist moved his gaze to Crocness. She kept silent, as well.

"I have no control," Thorne said in a low tone, looking down at the floor in front of him. "You need to do it."

Knightriss sighed. "Very well."

**A/N: I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Sorry if this one was a bit unbelievable.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Forgive me if this chapter's overly dramatic. I think it might be a little over the top, but this is the "feeling defeated" part and all, so...**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

Ballista and Skabb dragged Thorne down to the castle's dungeon. Tinkor and Knightriss followed, holding shiny silver chains in their hands. Thorne never made a sound or struggled with them; he just stared dejectedly at the floor beneath him as it scraped against his broken boots.

In the dungeon, the Defenders carefully snapped silver cuffs around Thorne's wrists and wrapped his forearms in chains. They attached the chains to the strong wall and to rings on the ceiling, then hoisted the half-human, half-dragon into the air. Thorne's destroyed leather boots hung three feet from the cold floor of the dungeon. And that's where his gaze was set.

Shaiden, who made it down to the dungeon, albeit with some diffulty, had been staring at him the whole time. When he was finally hanging, never in the ninja's life had she seen Thorne look so...defeated. He hung in the air limply, and his head drooped down so low that she was sure it would break from his blue neck any moment.

When Skabb, Ballista, Knightriss, and Tinkor stepped away from the hanging alchemist, Shaiden walked towards him. She stopped four feet in front of him, then glanced behind her at the retreating Defenders. When they were just about through the dungeon's exit, she looked up at her brother.

"Thorne?"

The alchemist didn't answer.

"Thorne, I didn't mean to-"

The ninja's brother whipped his head up and glared at her. Before he realized what he was about to say, the words had already left his mouth.

"This is all your fault!" he seethed. "You're the reason I'm stuck here! If you had just-"

Thorne cut himself off and drew in a sharp breath. When he had calmed his sudden burst of rage, he gazed back at his wide-eyed sister. There was a look in her eyes that made Thorne immediately regret what he had just said.

After a moment, the ninja sighed and lowered her head. "I know. And I'm sorry."

Right then, Shaiden looked younger than she actually was. She silently turned to leave. Thorne stared at her as she limped away, hardly believing what he had just done. When the dungeon's doors creaked and finally slammed shut, Thorne hung his head again and sighed deeply.

No one else had spoke to him. No one had asked if he would be okay by himself. No one had offered to stay with him. But that was fine; Thorne wanted to be by himself. He _needed_ to be by himself. Inside the alchemist was a raging storm of emotions.

Anger was still there, but not nearly as prominent as before. Thorne was now dealing with emotions that he hadn't felt in a long time, and some of them he never knew he even possessed. Hurt. Sadness. Humiliation. Heartache. Rejection. Disappointment.

For a moment, Thorne was angry with himself. Why did he allow himself to fall in love? Why did he permit himself to become so vulnerable? Didn't he know that he'd just end up being rejected? What made him think that Crocness would like him back?

Slowly, Thorne's anger melted back into deep pain. He felt like the object of everyone's scorn. Especially _her_ scorn. And not only had he ended up with his heart shattered, he was also stuck in the dungeon, destined to be a dragon for the rest of his life.

As he hung there, thinking, he realized how vicious he had been towards his sister. _This is all your fault. _Thorne shook his head in shame, knowing he was dead wrong.

This was all _his_ fault. If he had just controlled his temper, Shaiden and Gildar wouldn't have been injured. He wouldn't be stuck in the dungeon. Perhaps Crocness would have considered liking him. If he had just controlled his emotions...

Thorne squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. It was then that the chains around his arms felt heavier and colder. He reopened his eyes and looked down at the claws jerking from his boots. At least if he became a dragon, he'd never, ever remember this very painful, extremely embarrassing event in his life.

Thorne suddenly felt a bit better. His fate seemed brighter than before. But not by much.

***

Meanwhile, Crocness wasn't doing so well, herself. She felt guilty; she knew why Thorne was so upset. She knew she had broken his heart, and she had no idea how to make it right. But she also felt...confused.

Crocness hadn't been entirely honest with her fellow Defenders that morning. True, she didn't exactly feel the same way towards Thorne...but something inside her was stirring. It had been stirring ever since the previous night. Perhaps even before that.

If the feeling was what she suspected it to be, she wouldn't be surprised. As they spent time together for the past few weeks, the bond between her and Thorne had thickened. And because they were both half-reptile, they somehow could understand each other better.

However, the croc-woman wasn't quite ready to admit the stirring feeling was the same type of affection that Thorne felt for her. She wasn't exactly sure what it was. So she dismissed it for the time being.

It was now evening. She and Albert were hungry, so Crocness was heading for the dining hall. When she got there, she found Shaiden sitting at the table by herself, arms crossed and staring at the floor. Crocness could read anger and pain on her face.

"Shaiden, are you okay?" she asked, walking in.

Shaiden didn't answer right away. After a moment, she shook her head. "This is all my fault," she stated, still staring at the floor. "If I haven't intervened last night, Thorne wouldn't be stuck in the dungeon."

Crocness sat down next to the half-human, half-dragon's sister. "Shaiden, you're not the one responsible for his temper."

The ninja sighed. "I know, but if I hadn't shown up last night, he wouldn't have gotten so angry." Shaiden hung her head. "If I had just listened to him, he wouldn't be stuck turning into a beast," she muttered under her breath.

Shaiden knew that wasn't really true, but she nevertheless felt the most responsible for her brother's condition. Probably because she was his sister.

Crocness breathed in deeply. "You know he didn't mean what he said in the dungeon."

Shaiden blinked with surprise, then turned to Crocness. "You heard that?"

Crocness half-smirked. "My senses are better than yours." The half-human, half-reptile put on a serious frown. "I know he didn't mean that. He's just going through some emotional pain right now. He needs time to heal."

Shaiden silently agreed.

"And it's not your fault he's turning into a dragon," the croc-woman stated, a hint of sadness in her voice. Her brown eyes sparked angrily. "Moray's the one responsible for that."

In response, the ninja clenched her fists together and growled. "If I could just get my hands around his neck! I want to show him what happens when he messes with the Defenders of Splatalot. No one gets away with hurting my brother."

A pause.

"Shaiden! Crocness!"

The two Defenders turned. Gildar was standing in the doorway. Crocness noticed the look of anger on his face. He tipped his head a bit.

"We've got company," he announced darkly.


	16. Chapter 16

Shaiden and Crocness looked at each other. The croc-woman quickly stood up and followed Gildar out the door. Shaiden forced herself up with a groan, then limped after the two.

The three rapidly marched outside to the moat, where the other Defenders were already waiting. Crocness, Gildar, and Shaiden stopped before the Beastly Battle Axes and looked up in front of them. Standing on the stone structure above the Starting Platform was the cause of all the trouble.

Crocness joined her fellow Defenders in an icy staredown. _Moray._

Moray no longer wore a robe. He did, however, wear a long coat over his black pants and a dark blue tunic. His thick, brown boots were stained with colorful chemicals from past experiments. Ballista almost vomited at the sight of his outfit.

He was standing in an arrogant way, as if he thought he owned the castle. He had a smug smile on his face and a wicked gleam in his golden eyes.

"Greetings, Defenders."

Ballista shot her Splatbow at him in reply, earning a few laughs from Kook, Skabb, and Tinkor. Moray wiped brushed himself off, then shot an angry look at his "niece."

"You've got some nerve showing your face around here, Moray!" Ballista yelled.

Moray erased the frown off his face and chuckled, then glanced at each of the Defenders. A minute later, he rubbed his chin. "I see only eight of you...where's the ninth? Is he alright?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Shaiden snarled, then stepped out of the shadows. "You know exactly what's wrong with him! You better fix him, or I'll crush your neck with my bare hands!"

Moray smiled down at the ninja. "My dear little girl, I'm so sorry."

Shaiden bore her gleaming teeth at him.

"I'm so sorry I turned your dear brother into a freak. But hey, don't worry, I'll make everything right."

Crocness stepped forward and growled. "You better. How?"

"I'll make you a deal." Moray put his hand into one of his coat's pockets, then brought out a blue, spiked bracelet.

"What is that thing?" Gildar demanded.

"The young man's cure." Moray held the bracelet up in the air. "It's simple. He puts it on, pushes these spikes in, they pierce his arm, the antidote flows through his bloodstream, and he's cured."

Kook flinched and rubbed his damaged arm.

"I'll give this to you," Moray announced, bringing the device back down in front of him. His eyes sparkled evilly. "And, in return, you give me the crown of Splatalot."

"We'll never give our crown!" the ninja yelled.

The evil alchemist looked at her scornfully. "Do you care more about that crown than your own brother?"

Shaiden seethed at him. That was not true.

"Oh, that's a shame," Moray sighed, shaking his head.

"You have no part of this kingdom, Moray!" Ballista shouted. "Now give us that bracelet right now and we might let you keep one of your arms!"

Ballista's "uncle" twirled the accessory in his fingers thoughtfully for a moment. "Or...I'll take the crown...and your dragon alchemist friend...by force." He smirked. "I can find a use for him. I need a new pet to try some experiments out on. Now how does that sound?"

For a moment, no one spoke. The Defenders quietly glared at the evil alchemist, all thinking hard.

"Or, we could destroy you and then pry the bracelet from your cold, dead hands," Crocness suggested.

"Skabb likes that idea!" the barbarian shouted.

Suddenly, a splat ball flew through the air and hit Moray's hands, making him yelp in surprise and accidentally drop the blue device into the moat.

"Nice shot, Ballista!" Gildar cried.

The other Defenders laughed, then aimed their weapons at Moray. A dark shadow crossed the alchemist's face. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and his hands curled into fists.

"So be it," he growled.

With that, Moray looked up at the moon rising in the night sky. Then, to the shock of all of the Defenders, his arms _turned red._

Crocness gaped. "Oh, no..."

Moray's arms maximized in size, and egg-white claws emerged from his hands. The Defenders watched in horror as they realized that Moray was the dragon that attacked weeks ago. He roared as two large wings unfolded from his back.

Knightriss immediately began barking out orders, making Kook, who was standing next to her, cover his ears.

"Tinkor and Ballista, go get those new weapons! Gildar and Skabb, see how far you can push back that monster! Crocness, man the Water Cannon!"

The Defenders immediately obeyed.

"What can I do?" Shaiden inquired.

The knight looked at the blue ninja, at her limp leg, then at her face. "Shaiden, you are in no condition to fight! You'll have to stay hidden!"

Shaiden was aghast. "But-"

"That's an order!" Knightriss hissed.

The ninja rolled her eyes and groaned, then reluctantly disapppeared into the shadows. Knightriss looked at the bird next to her.

"Kook, you help me load this up!"

The bird nodded.

Just before Crocness went up towards the Water Cannon, she stopped on top of the Finishing Platform. She crouched down besides the moat and lowered her best friend into the waters.

"Albert, go get that bracelet!" she commanded.

Albert happily obeyed by diving deep into the murky waters. When she couldn't see him anymore, Crocness dashed for the Water Cannon.

***

Kook cringed when the beast knocked Skabb into the moat. Just as it turned onto Gildar, Knightriss fired four splat balls at it. The dragon roared, then seethed at Knightriss. It was then that Gildar whacked its cheek with his Tenderizer.

Kook laughed mockingly, then glanced at the Splatzooka. "Can I have a turn on that?"

Knightriss looked at his left arm, which was wrapped in white bandages. "No. Your arm's not completely healed." The knight pointed the end of the Splatzooka at the bird. "Load 'er up!"

Kook groaned, but didn't argue. As he dipped his hand into the bucket of splat balls, something splashed. He looked up to see that the dragon had knocked the viking into the moat.

"Load her up!" Knightriss yelled.

"I am!" the green-haired bird replied defensively, filling the weapon with dry splat balls.

Suddenly, the dragon flew towads them. Knightriss fired the splat balls at it, which only made the beast more angry. Just as Knightriss was about to order Kook to load up the Splatzooka again, the dragon slashed its paw across the weapon, destroying it.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kookaburra cried.

Without a second thought, Knightriss grabbed Kook's good arm and pulled him away from the dragon, who was now breathing out blazing flames. It was then that Tinkor and Ballista arrived with real bows, arrows, and catapults.

As the onslaught continued, Knightriss dragged Kook into a dark corner of one of the castle's hidden hallways. (The hallways that the Defenders use to get from one weapon station to the other.)

"Stay here," the English Defender ordered.

And with that, Knightriss ran back towards the moat. As soon as she was gone, the Australian bird crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.

"This is gonna be a long night," Kook groaned.

***

Meanwhile, Crocness was watching the surface of the moat from the Water Cannon. When Albert finally emerged from the waters with a blue object in his jaws, she left her post and ran for the Finishing Platform. She smiled at him as he crawled onto the orange board.

"Good boy, Albert!" Crocness praised, taking the bracelet into her hands and patting her pet.

After Albert climbed back onto her shoulder, Crocness turned and ran back to the Water Cannon. When she arrived up there, however, she suddenly wondered how much time Thorne had left before he transformed into a dragon permanently. How would she be able to get the spiked accessory onto him then?

The water monster, fearing more for Thorne than the crown at that moment, turned on her heels, intending to head for the dungeon. She promised herself that she would just make sure the bracelet was in a safe place and that it would only take her a few seconds.

Suddenly, the dragon flew over and bit down on the Water Cannon, making Crocness turn back around.

The dragon spit the red-colored machinery out of its mouth. "Where do you think you're going, little beast?" it seethed.

For a split second, Crocness was surprised that Moray could speak English in dragon form. Before she could blink, the dragon smacked the reptilian woman's cheek with its whip-like tail, sending her into the moat.

Crocness roared angrily when she emerged. Her cheek stung horribly, and she felt a little dizzy. When the world was still again, she saw that she was near the second Callous Column. She quickly climbed on top of that, then onto a Beastly Batlle Axe. She carefully walked across the Axe and jumped onto the level ground behind it.

The dragon was right behind her. Crocness growled at it, then clenched her hands into fists. She and the dragon then engaged in a fist fight sort of thing. They took turns hitting and dodging at each other. The other Defenders fired arrows at it from the moat. However, they feared that they would hit Crocness by mistake, so the number of arrows that hit the dragon were few.

After a while, the dragon knocked Crocness to her feet, making Albert fall off her shoulder. Before Crocness could stand up, the dragon mercilessly whipped poor Albert into the moat.

Crocness was horrified. "Albert!"

The reptilian woman watched as her beloved pet fell into the murky waters. Rage began to fill the croc-woman's chest. She turned to face the dragon and glared deeply into his wicked, proud, golden eyes.

"Did you just hit Albert?" she growled.

The dragon roared arrogantly in reply. Crocness, enraged, roared back, and before Moray knew it, she was clamping down hard on his snout with her sharp teeth. The dragon whacked her away, crying out in pain. Crocness fell on the dirt ground about fifteen feet from him, rolled over, then stood up. The dragon ran after her, and to his surprise, the warrior was fearlessly running back at him. After the two collided, they were locked in a fight-to-the-death struggle.


	17. Chapter 17

Down in the dark, damp dungeon, Thorne was staring down at his boots, listening to himself breath in and out. Thorne was still fighting, albeit not that hard, to stay human. But he was on the verge of giving up.

Thorne wanted to stay human, but he felt so tired, so heavy, so defeated. Besides, there was nothing he could do to save himself. As far as he knew of, he had no way of getting a cure. Why keep fighting if the effort was in vain?

With a heavy sigh, Thorne admitted defeat and fell into unconsciousness, ready to embrace his permanent dragon nature.

Then he heard her scream.

Thorne's eyes snapped open with alarm. He lifted his head.

"Crocness?"

Thorne listened carefully. Suddenly, he could detect the walls shaking. They had been shaking for the past half-hour, but this was the first time he noticed it.

Thorne shifted, making his chains clink together. "Crocness?"

The echoes of a powerful roar rang throughout the dungeon, and Thorne immediately realized what was happening outside.

"Crocness!"

Thorne frantically looked around him, trying to figure out how to free himself. He managed to wrap his strong hands around the chains constricting his forearms, then pulled.

Thorne groaned when he realized that wasn't working. He swung himself a little and pulled even harder. Drops of frustrated sweat began to run down the side of his head. He yelled, then pulled even harder.

Thorne clenched his teeth when the results hadn't changed. He momentarily stopped to catch his breath, then pulled with as much strength as he could muster. He screamed at the top of his lungs as he did so.

Finally, Thorne loosened his grip, then hung his head in defeat. He took a deep breath as he realized there was no way he could free himself. Tinkor wasn't bluffing when he said that his chains were dragon-proof.

The alchemist was terrified. How was Crocness doing? Would she overpower the infernal beast? Would the other Defenders save her? Would the dragon...kill her?

Thorne felt his throat tighten at the thought. He swallowed.

_Crocness, please be okay..._

Suddenly, the half-human, half-dragon noticed that he was not alone. He looked up in front of him to see his younger sister watching him. There was an awkward pause as the two stared at each other for a long moment.

Thorne lowered his head and sighed. "Shaiden, I'm sorry. I was wrong about what I said earlier. I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry."

Shaiden stared at her brother for a moment. Then, she limped past him to the wall behind him. Thorne turned his head and watched as she pulled a silver key from one of her black pouches. She carefully observed the stone panels on the wall. Underneath the first few silver links of Thorne's chains, there was a small hole.

"Don't worry about it, dragon boy," she replied, inserting the key into the keyhole.

Once the key was in, she turned. Immediately, the chains snapped from the panel, then began to unravel off of Thorne's left arm. Shaiden did the same with the second panel, and the next thing Thorne knew, he was on the floor.

Shaiden then limped over to her brother, who was staring at the silver cuffs wrapped around his wrists. The chains were still attached to the cuffs, so it'd be almost impossible for Thorne to walk around smoothly with them.

"I've got it," the ninja stated, taking her brother's dragon-like hands.

The ninja quickly located keyholes on each cuff. She took the key and inserted it into the first hole, and the silver band immediately snapped open. After doing the same with the second one, Shaiden put the key away and pulled the silver cuffs apart from Thorne's blue wrists. When they were finally off, she tossed them to the ground.

Thorne rubbed his cold wrists, then looked at his sister. A shadow of a grateful smile appeared on his face.

"Thanks, Shaiden," he said, a hint of warmness in his tone.

Shaiden smiled. "No problem." She tossed her head towards the door. "Now go destroy that thing."

***

Meanwhile, the dragon and Crocness were on the very top of the castle. The other Defenders couldn't see what was going on, but they knew that what was happening was anything but good.

The dragon had Crocness pinned on her back. It was holding one of its razor sharp claws near her throat, intending to kill her. Crocness was pushing its paw back as best she could, but she knew she couldn't hold it back forever.

Crocness stared angrily into Moray's wicked eyes. With a growl, she asked, "Why him?"

Moray cocked his head. "Hmm?"

"Why Thorne? Why did you choose to turn him into a dragon?"

"Because he has anger issues," the dragon replied, forcing his claw closer to Crocness's throat. "You see, little crocodile, it's quite easy to turn one with anger issues into a dragon."

"That doesn't tell me anything," the reptile woman snapped. "We all have anger issues."

"He's the one with the most anger issues." In a tone as cold as ice, he added, "And all he can feel is anger."

Crocness's eyes flashed as she snarled. "You're dead wrong! He can feel so much more than that!"

"Not for long. Not without this," Moray sneered, revealing the light blue, spiked bracelet.

Crocness growled in reply. The red dragon roughly jerked her arms back. She cringed when she felt something pop. Moray placed the blunt end of his hooked claw to her throat.

"Now this'll hurt a little bit," he stated calmly, smirking.

Crocness snarled, but wasn't able to resist in any way. Her eyes sparkled bravely and fiercely as she waited for the fatal strike.

Suddenly, the red dragon was ferociously knocked off of the reptilian woman. He rolled across the roof, then felt something grab his arms. He looked behind him into the face of the blue half-human, half-dragon.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY CROCNESS!" he roared.

Moray growled, then slapped Thorne with his tail, knocking him off. Thorne roared, then ran towards the red dragon. Once the two met, they were locked in a deadly brawl.

One she recovered from her surprise, the croc-woman stood up. She watched as the two dragons took turns clawing and rolling on top of each other.

By the time it started to rain, Thorne had the upper hand. He was only half-dragon, but he was still the strongest of the two. Moray was losing miserably.

That's why he decided to cheat.

When he saw his chance, Moray brought out the light blue bracelet. He subtly slipped the light blue device over Thorne's left arm. Though he didn't notice, the reptilian woman did.

"Thorne, watch out!" she cried.

Moray suddenly pushed down hard on the bracelet's silver spikes, sending them deep into Thorne's arm. He cried out in pain, then felt a brutal slap against his cheek. Thorne fell backwards, then pushed himself up. He glanced at his stinging, bleeding arm, then saw that his silver claws were starting to dissolve.

Crocness was infuriated. "You coward!"

Moray grabbed Thorne, and another brawl began. The dragon made sure Thorne suffered severely. It scratched, smacked, and whipped him every few seconds. Because Thorne was completely human again and weaponless, it was now hard for him to fight back.

During their fight, the dragon dug its claws deep into Thorne's shoulder, making him cry out in pain. The dragon then roared and threw Thorne to a corner of the roof. The alchemist landed on his stomach in a rain puddle. He groaned when a stinging pain shot through his body. When he opened his eyes, he was alarmed at how red in color the puddle was.

Thorne felt rain pelt his throbbing shoulder, which made it sting even more. He clenched his shoulder and flinched.

"Thorne!"

Thorne responded to Crocness's cry by looking at her. The sight of her face illuminated by the moonlight made him feel stronger. The reptilian woman ran over to him, which caught the red dragon's attention.

"Crocness, no!" the English Defender shouted, holding his good arm out to her.

The dragon roared and slapped Crocness with its tail. After she stumbled back, it clawed her face, then knocked her down. It raised its powerful arm to strike another blow.

Thorne snarled visciously, forgetting all about his pain. He leapt up from the ground and ran for the dragon. With a mighty yell, he attacked the beast with all his might, and another fight began.

Every time he needed a dose of strength, Thorne would look at Crocness's scratched face. The sight of her injured made him furious and want to keep fighting for her, even though he was bleeding horribly.

And what happened? Well, in the end, Thorne was able to push the dragon off the roof and into the Stockade.

Crocness, who had been watching in amazement, picked herself up from the ground and ran to Thorne's side. Thorne was drenched in rainwater and sweat, and was breathing heavily. When he sensed Crocness's presence next to him, he looked at her.

The two stared a each other for a moment, each unable to speak right away. Skabb's loud yelling made them turn their attention the Stockade. The other Defenders were already there, surrounding the dragon. Crocness smiled evilly, wondering what kind of torture her friends had in store for Moray.

"Crocness..."

The reptilian woman turned. Thorne was clenching his bleeding shoulder and cringing. Crocness's eyes widened at his gaping wound.

"Help..."

No sooner had he said that, Thorne fell unconscious and collapsed into Crocness's strong arms.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Alright, I finally got this posted! And...sorry for the short notice, but this is the last chapter. But I believe it's the longest one I've wrote for this story. Hope you enjoy it!**

The next three days were critical. Thorne was confined to his bedroom, and had been unconscious the whole time. During the fight with Moray, he had lost a lot of blood; almost enough to kill him. Moray had sunk his claws deep into Thorne's shoulder, and even around the chest area below it. That was why it bled so bad. The other Defenders, especially Shaiden, were all terrified that he might not make it.

However, their fears lessened when he woke up on the fourth day, even though it was just for a few mere seconds. It meant that he was making progress in recovery. The injured alchemist woke three more times that day, and four times during the fifth day. And every time he did, he saw Tinkor right beside him, tending to his wounds.

Near the end of the sixth day, Thorne awoke again. His eyes were still shut, but he was conscious of his surroundings. He was just about to drift back to sleep when he noticed that the atmosphere felt different. He wasn't sure how he knew, but someone was right beside him. And it wasn't Tinkor.

When Thorne opened his eyes, he found himself looking into his sister's face. Shaiden was sitting on a stool beside her brother's bed, and her brown eyes were gleaming with gladness.

"It's about time you woke up," she chimed, smirking playfully. "How are you feeling?"

The blue alchemist paused. He felt tired and sore, and his head ached a little, but otherwise okay. "Fine."

Shaiden nodded. "Good."

Thorne sat up, determined to stay awake for a while. He looked down at the bandages wrapped around his shoulder and part of his chest. His eyes moved down from his shoulder, and he noticed another bandage wrapped around the middle of his upper arm. Moray had put that spiked bracelet right there. Thorne almost flinched when he recalled how much those spikes hurt.

When he looked back at his sister, he was slightly surprised to see her holding the spiked bracelet in her hands.

"I don't know if you want this back or not," she said, handing him the device.

Thorne took the accessory and inspected it carefully. The spikes weren't as stained as he thought they'd be, but nevertheless, it still looked quite sinister. He decided that he liked it by carefully putting it on over his sore arm.

"What happened to Moray?" Thorne asked, turning back to the blue ninja.

Shaiden crossed her arms and smiled evilly. "Let's just say Skabb got a new skull for his collection."

The British alchemist grinned in the same evil manner as his sister.

"I can't give you all the details," Shaiden said a few seconds later. "Skabb and Knightriss want to tell you all about it when you're up for it."

Thorne nodded. "Fair enough."

Shaiden quickly scanned the alchemist's arm, shoulder, and area around it. A moment later, she stared back at her brother's face. "You were a huge mess before we wrapped you up."

The alchemist glanced at his bandaged wounds and shrugged. "Doesn't hurt that bad."

Shaiden nodded. "Crocness said you put up quite a fight."

Thorne's eyes brightened a little, which made Shaiden smirk. He looked away from his sister's face and stared at the doorway.

The ninja seemed to read her brother's mind. "I believe she's in the moat, right now." Shaiden paused. "She wanted to speak to you when you were feeling better."

Thorne nodded, seemingly indifferently. Shaiden wasn't exactly sure what he was really feeling, though, so she changed the subject.

"Tinkor wants you to eat more iron-rich foods. There's leftover unicorn and fresh spinach in the fridge. Can I get you some?"

"Sure," he replied, giving her a nod.

Shaiden returned the nod, with much more energy, then hopped off the stool. She marched to the slightly ajar door, pushed it open, then left. No sooner than three minutes later, she returned with a tray in her hands.

"Here you go," she said, resting the tray in front of Thorne. She tapped the glass of grape juice on the tray. "Make sure you drink this. Gildar said Vitamin C helps your body absorb the iron better."

The alchemist nodded, then stared at his meal for a moment. Shaiden frowned impatiently, then grabbed the silver fork from the tray and thrust it into his hands.

"Eat. Come on. Now."

Thorne gave his sister a look, but complied with her command by shoving a forkful of the unicorn meat into his mouth.

They were both relatively quiet after that. When Thorne was done eating, Shaiden ordered him to get some rest, then took the tray and began to leave.

As she walked away, Thorne noticed that she no longer had a limp. That observation led to a series of memories. In them, he realized that, even though he had been irritable and hurtful towards her during the past week, Shaiden had never showed any bitterness towards him.

"Shaiden?"

She stopped, then turned around. "Yes?"

Thorne lowered his head a bit. "Thanks for all your help. You're a good sister."

Shaiden stared at him for a moment. Afterwards, she put her hand on the door's handle, then smirked at him. "You keep telling yourself that."

With that, Shaiden shut the door, leaving Thorne by himself.

Thorne took a deep breath, then leaned back in his bed and stared at the wall. The hole he had made weeks before was still in need of repair. Right now only a few boards were hammered over it.

As he stared at it, he wondered what Crocness wanted to talk to him about. He tilted his head a bit. Was it important?

He shrugged a second later. If it was, then she would be talking to him at that moment. So probably not.

Nevertheless, though, Thorne was still curious. He groaned, knowing that he wouldn't be satisfied until he knew. He couldn't help it; he was bored. And now that he was awake and had eaten, he didn't want to get rest by means of sleep. He had been asleep for days.

After contemplating how far apart the wooden boards on the wall were, he looked down at the side of his bed. He noticed a brand new pair of boots patiently sitting there. He figured that they were from Ballista, then observed his bandaged arm thoughtfully.

_I'm not THAT injured..._

***

Crocness was standing at the Defenders' Douse, looking up at the star-lit sky. She had just finished taking a swim in the moat, and was now taking in the nighttime atmosphere. It was dark and mysterious, and a chilly wind was blowing. She and Albert loved it.

Just as another cool breeze swept past her, the reptilian woman's nose picked up a familiar scent. She frowned.

"You're not supposed to be out of your room, dragon boy," Crocness stated without turning around.

"Oy, who said I had to stay in there?" Thorne responded in an almost indignant tone.

The reptilian woman turned around. Thorne was a few paces behind her, carefully working his way over to her. He was walking in a way that looked like he was in pain.

Crocness crossed her arms. "You're supposed to be inside, resting."

Thorne ignored her comment, then finally made it next to her. He leaned against the wall, then glanced down into the moat.

"Feeling alright?"

Thorne nodded, then adjusted his position against the wall. "I'm fine."

The half-human, half-reptile noticed the spiked bracelet around Thorne's arm. She smirked at him. "You like that thing, don't ya?"

The alchemist turned his arm up and down, gazing at his gothic bracelet. "Yeah."

"How does it feel to be human again?"

Thorne observed one of his clawless, scale-free hands. "Good. Although, I wish I still had those claws to terrify Kook with."

The reptilian woman laughed, then sighed. "That was some night, wasn't it?"

Thorne agreed by nodding. He then moved his gaze from his hand to the half-human, half-reptile's face.

There was a mischievous sparkle in Crocness' eyes. "I couldn't help but notice your interesting battle cry that night."

Thorne cocked his head, confused. "What battle cry?"

Crocness smirked at him. Thorne took a moment to recall the night, then suddenly remembered what she was talking about.

_"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY CROCNESS!"_

"Oh...that one," he replied, turning red.

The half-human, half-reptile's smirk widened. Thorne frowned, then grudgingly crossed his arms and looked away until his face was no longer red in color.

Crocness looked down at her boots in thought. _I wonder if now would be a good time or not..._

Thorne saved her the trouble of debating by bringing the subject up himself.

"Shaiden told me you wanted to speak to me about something," he stated, turning back to her.

Crocness nodded. "Yes."

"What about?"

The reptilian woman seemed a little reluctant to say anything, at first. She looked up at the moon for a moment, then finally took a deep breath to begin.

"When you were a dragon...what was it that attracted you to me?"

Now it was Thorne's turn to feel reluctant to speak. He stared at the croc-woman for a long minute, then leaned back a bit more against the wall. He looked at the ground and reflected carefully upon the last month. He was silent for a lengthy period of time.

"...I liked your warrior's spirit," he finally said, looking back up at her. "I've...always liked that about you." He paused. "...And...I liked your scary, mysterious demeanor."

The half-human, half-reptile shrugged. That...sort of made sense. As Thorne continued to stare at her, he felt those familiar, strong emotions stir in his chest. They brought back pleasant memories from the times he and Crocness spent in the forest together.

He showed little hesitation in continuing. "I also liked how your eyes sparkle...and the way your face shines in the moonlight..."

Crocness blinked. "Really?"

Thorne nodded, slightly thrown off by how surprised her tone sounded. "Yes."

The reptilian woman lowered her head a little bit, trying to digest this new information. She was quiet for a moment longer.

"So...you actually thought I was...pretty?"

Thorne shrugged, and almost half-smiled. "Yeah. I guess I did."

The way Crocness looked at Thorne told him she hadn't heard that very often...and that she wished she did. Thorne knew she liked being told she was scary, but had it always been like that? Had her pride in her reptilian appearance ever been replaced with pain?

Thorne looked at her seriously. "Crocness, you're beautiful just the way you are; moss and all. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently."

Crocness stared wide-eyed at Thorne. Then, slowly, a happy, gracious shine appeared in her sparkling brown eyes, before being followed by a sort of worried look. The alchemist didn't notice the latter immediately.

The reptilian woman hesitated to ask. "Do you...still like me as I am?"

Thorne stared deep into Crocness' brown eyes. The warm feeling in his chest seemed to flicker like a flame. Of course he did, whether she reciprocated his feelings for him or not. That was his choice, and nothing would change that.

But he was a bit reluctant to answer right away. Was Crocness interested in building a romantic relationship with him, or was this just out of mere curiosity? He didn't want to feel the sting of rejection again.

He casually shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

Crocness saw past his indifferent shrug and smiled sweetly at him. Another gleam appeared in her brown eyes, and there was a sudden radiance in her face that made Thorne realize he'd be smiling a lot more often from then on.

***

March ended, and the month of April finally came. Thorne was completely healed, the castle was fully repaired, and the only enemies the Defenders had to face were the teenage Attackers. The Defenders were soon reminded how much they actually _missed_ the Attackers. They loved a good challenge, but they would take teenagers over fire-breathing dragons any day.

"I'M AMAZING! WHOO!"

A shower of cold water suddenly fell upon the new Attacker.

"You looked a bit thirsty there, thought you might need a drink!"

The half-human, half-reptile looked down into the moat and watched the sixth Attacker of the day dash across the Baffling Barrels. She nodded with satisfaction when he slipped off the third one. The reptilian woman then raced down to the Splatzooka.

The blue-armored Attacker made it across the first part of the moat, then began to climb the Slippery Slope.

"Hi there!"

The Attacker glanced at the blue alchemist eyeing him from behind the Splatzooka. Thorne shot three splat balls at him, making him stumble.

"Think you're gonna be the king of this castle?" Thorne asked, reloading his weapon.

The teenager didn't reply. He made it to the top of the slope, then stared at the Mace Roll. After making up some sort of strategy, he ran across it. Thorne then shot him in the neck, and the next thing he knew, he was swimming.

"Nice shot, Thorne," Crocness commented, walking next to him.

Thorne cackled in response. "You ain't gonna get the crown like that!" he yelled to the teenager.

"Oh, who asked you?" the Attacker shouted back.

"I'm detecting some sass!" the viking called from behind the Water Cannon.

Thorne shook his head, then looked over at Crocness, who was reloading the Splatzooka for him. When she realized she was being stared at, she blinked, then looked at the alchemist's face.

"Yes?"

Thorne shrugged. "I was just thinking...what do you say we have dinner together this evening? Lakeside barbeque?"

Crocness loaded the Splatzooka with one more slimy splat ball. "I like that idea."

"Great. How do burgers and steak sound?"

"They sound delicious," Crocness replied, flinging slime off her hands. "Think you can make more of that sparkling grape juice, too?"

"Done," he replied with a half-smile.

The half-human, half-reptile grinned back at him.

"Crocness, Thorne!"

The two turned back to the moat to see the blue Attacker crossing the Beastly Battle Axes.

"A little bit of focus!" Gildar cried. "Please!"

Thorne put on a fierce expression, then fired. Moments later, the teenager was swimming with the reptilian woman's relatives.

"What was all that worry about?" Thorne asked, shooting the viking a look.

Gildar rolled his eyes, then turned on the Water Cannon when the Attacker climbed on the top of the second Callous Column. In less than a minute, he had crossed the Rope Bridge of Disaster, and soon the Attacker was on the Finishing Platform, dancing.

The annoyed viking turned towards the Splatzooka. "You know, if you two lovebirds hadn't been so caught up in each others' eyes, he wouldn't be doing the happy dance right now!"

Thorne and Crocness glared at the viking. All of a sudden, Thorne fired the Splatzooka. The flying splat ball would have hit Gildar in the face if he hadn't ducked. The alchemist laughed.

Gildar was infuriated. "Did you just shoot that thing at me?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry; did I mess up your hair?"

Crocness' smile widened while Gildar's scowl hardened. He shook his head, then pulled out his little red mirror. His frown instantly vanished when he saw his hair was just fine.

Thorne turned his attention to the celebrating Attacker. "I'll get you next time," he announced darkly.

**A/N: The End! That was fun to write.**

**So, now...****I still need to finish Shoved By a Rainbow; I haven't forgotten about it, I just don't know what other chapters I should do for it. I also have a few ideas for other stories, as well...but not as many as I would like. Oh well; better than nothing, right?**

**Anyways...thanks for reading my story! And thanks for all your support! Have an awesome day!**


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